Quality of life predictors for Portuguese general population

Patricio, Jesus, Cruice, and Hall (2012)

Quality of Life Research 21(Supplement 1), 116-117

Aims: The purpose of this research was to assess the quality of life of Portuguese adults (general population sample) and identify predictors of QOL in this population.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-five (n = 255) participants from the general Portuguese population have taken part in this research (mean age 43yrs, range 25–84yrs; 148 female, 107 male). Participants completed a postal European Portuguese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life short-form instrument (WHOQOL-Bref, Serra et al., 2006) and a European Portuguese version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D, Gonçalves & Fagulha, 2004). Demographic information was also collected.

Results: Portuguese adults reported their QOL as good. The physical and psychological domains strongly predicted overall QOL (65%). The weakest predictor domain was social relationships. Age, educational level, socioeconomic status and emotional status were significantly correlated to QOL and explain 50% of the variance in QOL scores. From those, the strongest predictor of QOL was emotional status followed by educational level and age. QOL was significantly different among: marital status; living place (continent or islands); people they live with; occupation; health.

Conclusion: The Portuguese population report high levels of QOL. The strongest predictors of QOL were: physical domain; psychological domain; educational level; environmental domain; age. The results of the domains were similar to those of Serra et al. (2006), but other predictors were not studied in Portuguese population (Serra et al., 2006). This data is important for health care policies and therapy planning since it reveals the most important variables that influence the QOL of people who attend health care services.

PatricioJesusCruiceHall2012b.pdf - Abstract (Acrobat 9.5.1 Pro file)

PatricioJesusCruiceHall2012b_pptx.pdf - Poster presentation (Acrobat 9.5.2 Pro file)


Last updated 30/10/2012
lmtj@ua.pt
Luís Miguel Teixeira de Jesus

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