FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG PHYSICAL THERAPY STUDENTS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: Allied health courses, such as Physical Therapy (PT) requires physical interaction to hone learning and skills for effective and efficient health service delivery. With the COVID19 pandemic, the academe had to transition to remote learning. This study seeks to assess the overall health-related quality of life among Physical Therapy Students and identify factors affecting their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Methods: This quantitative, cross-sectional study made use of the Ferrans and Colleagues’ HRQoL model. Using convenience sampling, data collected using the 45-item questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics, ordinal logistics regression, Wald Chi-Square Test and Likelihood Ration Chi-Square test. Alpha level was set at 0.05. Results: The study, which was participated by 77 2nd year to 4th year PT students from DLSMHSI aged 19-24, revealed that the overall HRQoL can be affected by place of residence (p<.005), health perception (p <.026), supervision in academic outputs (p<.047), age (p<.027), mood (p<.033), adequacy of technological devices (p<.028), year level (p<.015), family structure (<.033), activity level (p<.038), sex (p<.006), intrusion experienced while having class (p<.034), and exposure to COVID (p<.005). Discussion: The findings of this study suggests that majority of the respondents have greater perceived impact of the pandemic on their quality of life which is affected by demographics, internal, and environmental factors.