Two-decade health-related quality of life and performance on physical function tests in midaged women: findings from a prospective cohort study

Objectives

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is more commonly measured in younger populations than objective physical function tests. However, associations between HRQoL and the performance on physical function tests are unclear. This study investigates the association between HRQoL measures across adulthood and performance on physical function tests in midaged women.

Methods

Data were derived from 499 women born during 1973–1978 from the Menarche-to-PreMenopause Study, a substudy of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. HRQoL was assessed every 3 years from ages 18–23 years to 40–45 years using the eight Short Form Health Survey subscales. Generalized estimating equation models examined the associations between HRQoL over 22 years and three performance tests at a mean age 44.6 years: handgrip strength (kg), chair rise (sec), and standing balance (sec). Worse performance was defined by the lowest tertile of the sample.

Results

Several HRQoL subscales showed longitudinal associations with performance. Repeatedly lower scores on nearly all subscales were linked to worse chair rise performance, except for social functioning and mental health. Bodily pain was associated with all three tests; women reporting more pain across the 22-year follow-up showed 50% higher odds of worse chair rise and 30% higher odds of both worse handgrip strength and balance. Women with lower physical functioning scores had higher odds of worse grip (odds ratio 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.9) and worse chair rise performances (odds ratio 1.4, 95% CI 1.4–2.6).

Conclusion

This study showed poorer HRQoL from early-to-mid adulthood was associated with worse physical performance in midaged Australian women, particularly in the chair rise test.