Medical and sociological analysis of health status and quality of life of persons aged 60 and older in the Grodno Region

BACKGROUND: Understanding the relationship between self-assessment of health status and quality of life, and social and demographic factors and population health indicators is essential to identify risk groups and provide rationale for the healthcare development in the region. AIM: To substantiate the relationship between self-assessment of quality of life and satisfaction with health status, and social and demographic factors and actual health indicators for residents of the Grodno Region aged 60 and older. METHODS: We analyzed the demographics and healthcare statistics, a database of 1,270 individuals aged 60 and older representative of the Grodno Region of the Republic of Belarus by sex, place of residence, and age. A short quality of life questionnaire issued by the World Health Organization was used, and nonparametric statistical methods were applied. RESULTS: Life expectancy in the Grodno Region is close to the national average, with men in rural areas showing the lowest values across all regions. Heart diseases are by far the leading cause of death. In self-assessment of the quality of life, the predominant options selected by the respondents are “Good” or “Neither bad nor good,” while in self-assessment of the health status satisfaction, the predominant options selected by the respondents are “Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.” Men (as compared with women), rural residents (as compared with urban residents), unmarried people (as compared with married people) have lower ratings of their quality of life. The hypothesis that children have a positive impact on the respondent’s quality of life is confirmed, while the hypothesis that old-age pension affects it is not confirmed. Health status satisfaction shows tolerance to social and demographic factors. A positive average correlation of health status satisfaction and self-assessment of quality of life is identified in all social and age groups. The higher the age, the lower the self-assessment of the quality of life, and the health status satisfaction is even lower. CONCLUSION: Men aged 60 and older living in rural areas are at risk based on low self-assessment ratings of quality of life in relation to low life expectancy. However, no gender differences were found in health satisfaction ratings.