Evaluation of association between the quality of life of urban senior citizens living in the slum area and their socio-demographic factors: A community-oriented approach

Abstract

Factors influencing the quality of life (QoL) of senior citizens are many. We evaluated the factors affecting various domains of quality of life in this vulnerable population. A community-based survey was conducted in the Thane District of Maharashtra state, India amongst 427 individuals above 60 years of age. A pre-validated World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) followed by personal interviews was used.Overall a lower QoL was observed amongst the study participants. Advanced age, female gender, informal education, economically dependence on the family members, low socio -economic status and those with multiple health problems were observed to be associated with poor QoL. We have identified factors significantly associated with poor QoL amongst the senior citizens living in a slum area. Interventions targeting this vulnerable population (particularly with risk factors) should be explored for their utility in improving the QoL.