Surveying Health-Related Quality of Life and Related Factors in the Diabetic Elderly in Mashhad in 2013

Increasing of life expectancy and aging is associated with noncommunicable diseases including diabetes، so this disease can affect various aspects of their lives. Therefore، this study is aimed to determine the level of health-related quality of life in the elderly with diabetes and its effectors. This cross-sectional study was conducted on the 300 diabetics elderly (60 years and older) who referred to health centers in Mashhad. Multi-stage cluster sampling was used. Data was collected by in-person interviews using standardized health-related quality of life، demographic characteristics and Duke Social Support Questionnaire. Data analyses were done by using SPSS (version 21) descriptive statistics and linear regression. The p-value less than 0. 05 were considered as significant. The results showed that the mean of health-related quality of life among the elderly is 57. 56±11. 01. According to the classification، (58. 7%) 176 of the elderly had moderate health-related quality of life. Also، the social dimension of (70%) 210 the diabetics elderly was good. But in the physical dimension، (45%) 135 had low levels and in the psychological dimension، (63. 3%) 190 were moderate. Furthermore، multiple linear regression showed that the most significant elderly quality of life predictors were sex، history of diabetes، education، marital status، health insurance status، respectively (p<0. 05). The increasing elderly population with diabetes and the importance of the various factors on quality of life، it is seemed to plan for improvement affecting factors and promotion of their quality of life.