Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 20:15:1761-1774.
doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S370353. eCollection 2022.

Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling Thai Older Adults in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

Thin Nyein Nyein Aung  1   2 , Saiyud Moolphate  3 , Yuka Koyanagi  4 , Chaisiri Angkurawaranon  1   2 , Siripen Supakankunti  5 , Motoyuki Yuasa  6   7 , Myo Nyein Aung  6   7   8
Affiliations

Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling Thai Older Adults in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

Thin Nyein Nyein Aung et al. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. .

Abstract

Background: Population aging has been growing worldwide and Thailand has become an aged society with 20% of its population aged 60 and over. Age-related decline in physical and mental health impacts the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of older adults.

Purpose: We aimed to describe the HRQOL of Thai older adults, residing in the community.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey was part of a Community-Integrated Intermediary Care project (CIIC), TCTR20190412004. A total of 1509 participants from an intervention arm of a cluster randomized controlled trial were included. A Thai version of the Euro-Qol questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) was used to determine the HRQOL and associated sociodemographic background, health behaviors and underlying diseases of a representative sample from Maehia, Chiang Mai, Thailand. SPSS version 24 was used to analyze data via descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 69.31±7.10 years, and nearly a quarter (23.8%) was older than 75 years. The mean EQ index score was 0.81±0.23 and older age, lower educational attainment, unemployment, lack of exercise habits, current smokers, having history of a fall in the last 6 months, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, dependency assessed using Barthel's Activity of Daily Living (ADL) Index, and depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were more likely to represent HRQOL-related problems.

Conclusion: Our findings have highlighted the factors affecting the HRQOL of community-dwelling older adults which could be of importance in preparing for active and healthy aging communities. The routine dependency assessment using the ADL index will be useful in estimating the HRQOL of the aging population. Fall prevention programs are also recommended to reduce dependency. Moreover, the association of having diabetes and hyperlipidemia with problems in HRQOL dimensions highlight the need for public health intervention not only to prevent the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases but also to improve the HRQOL of older adults.

Keywords: CIIC; Community-Integrated Intermediary Care; HRQOL; Thailand; aging; health-related quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of EQ-5D dimensions among Thai older adults, Maehia subdistrict, Chiang Mai, Thailand 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. World Bank. Country Profile Thailand; 2020.
    1. Weiskopf D, Weinberger B, Grubeck‐Loebenstein B. The aging of the immune system. Transpl Int. 2009;22(11):1041–1050. doi:10.1111/j.1432-2277.2009.00927.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Active ageing: a policy framework. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002. - PubMed
    1. Löfqvist C, Granbom M, Himmelsbach I, Iwarsson S, Oswald F, Haak M. Voices on relocation and aging in place in very old age—a complex and ambivalent matter. Gerontologist. 2013;53(6):919–927. doi:10.1093/geront/gnt034 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aung MN, Koyanagi Y, Ueno S, Tiraphat S, Yuasa M. A contemporary insight into an age-friendly environment contributing to the social network, active ageing and quality of life of community resident seniors in Japan. J Aging Environ. 2020;35:1–16.