Quality of Life of Malaysian Older Adults of Indian Community: A Pilot Study

Background: Quality of life (QOL) among the geriatric population is a global concern as it reflects the status of health and of wellbeing. Aims: Aims of this pilot study to assess the quality of life and its associated factors among older adults of Malaysian Indian community living in urban areas. Settings and Design: A community based cross sectional pilot study, using convenience sampling technique was conducted from April 2024 to May 2024, among 30 older adults in a urban town, Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia. Materials and Methods: Quality of life scale developed through the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used to collect data, about quality of life and socio-demographic details were also collected. Statistical Analysis: The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The highest average quality of life score, 3.6762±1.10, was in the psychological health domain and the lowest was in the physical health domain, 3.3714±0.31. The scores of the other two domains were moderate, that is, the social relationship score was 3.5111±0.48 and the environment score was 3.4000±0.83. Conclusion: The quality of life score among the elderly was moderate, while in the domain of psychological health, the quality of life score was found to be high. The quality of life scores of the social relations and environmental domains were moderate while the quality of life scores of the physical health domain were the lowest. Lifelong education that includes, the importance of understanding physical health activities, and environmental changes and improvements in social relationships can help in improving the quality of life among the elderly of the Indian community in the city of Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia.