Quality of life and its associated factors among chronic disease patients in Assir, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Background Chronic diseases considerably impact physical capacity, psychological agony, and social disengagement, leading to poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate HRQoL and determine the key sociodemographic predictors associated with lower HRQoL among adults with chronic diseases in the Assir region of Saudi Arabia. Despite the rising burden of chronic diseases in Saudi Arabia, data on health-related quality of life among rural populations using a validated multidomain instrument remain sparse, and predictors specific to the Assir region are yet to be characterized. Methodology A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from 25 October to 23 November 2024 across five primary health-care centers (PHCCs) located in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Mahayil, Sarat Abidah, and Rijal Almaa. A total of 430 adults diagnosed with one or more chronic diseases were recruited using a quota-based random sampling approach. Data were collected using the validated World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire, which evaluates physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. Binary logistic regression identified factors associated withpoor HRQoL (domain score ≤ 13), while Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis assessed domain-wise discriminative accuracy. Results The multivariable logistic regression revealed that male participants had significantly greater odds of good HRQoL compared with female (aOR = 2.46; 95% CI [1.64–3.68]; p < 0.001). Additionally, those who were employed had significantly greater odds of good HRQoL than those who were not working (aOR = 1.57; 95% CI [1.31–1.89]; p < 0.001). The analysis also found participants who were living with a spouse (aOR = 1.85; 95% CI [1.21–2.83]; p = 0.004), had higher education (aOR = 2.39; 95% CI [1.53–3.74]; p < 0.001), and had a single disease were significantly more likely to report good HRQoL (aOR = 45.99; 95 % CI [10.04–210.71]; p < 0.001). Conclusion Male gender, employment status, higher level of education, living with spouse and having one chronic disease were independently related to better HRQoL, while female gender, unemployment, lower educational level, living without spouse and multimorbidity were associated with lower HRQoL.