Quality of Life and Prevalence of Chronic Illnesses among Elderly People: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Elderly is a stage of human growth and development. In order to improve elderly Quality of life, more attention should be paid on their expectation and needs at this stage. The purpose of this study was to determine Quality of Life and prevalence of chronic illness in elderly people. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 participants who were cognitively intact. Cluster sampling method was used to select samples and data were collect using Farsi version of Short Form Health Survey (SF36) questionnaire. The data on chronic disease were gathered through interview. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA were used for data analysis. Average score for QoL was 57.43±22.80 (ranging from 0 to100). QoL statistically correlated with gender, educational levels, economic status, and health status (p<0.05). The result of study revealed that 82% of participants suffer at least from one chronic disease. This study showed that different factors affect QoL of elderly people and the majority of them suffer at least from one chronic illness. Therefore, any planning to increase social contribution of elderly population and improve medical and health services; special attention should be paid on these factors.