Factors associated with levels of health-related quality of life in elderly women: secondary data analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to the levels of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly women based on Wilson and Cleary's HRQoL model. METHODS: This study analyzed data from the eighth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019 on 868 women over the age of 65 years. Based on the HRQoL model, parameters were categorized as personal, environmental, and physiological characteristics; symptom status; functional status; and perception of health status. The data were analyzed by quantile regression. RESULTS: The overall level of HRQoL was 0.87. Factors related to HRQoL in the 10% quantile were higher education level, higher economic status, economic activity, more walking days, fewer diseases, lower stress, less activity limitation, and higher perceived health status. Factors related to the 25% quantile of HRQoL were more walking days, fewer diseases, less activity limitation, and higher perceived health status. Factors related to the 50% quantile were age, economic activity, more walking days, fewer disease, lower stress, less activity limitation, and higher perceived health status. Factors related to the 75% quantile of HRQoL were smoking, more walking days, fewer diseases, lower stress, less activity limitation, and higher perceived health status. CONCLUSION: While differing parameters were identified according to the level of HRQoL of elderly women in Korea, there were five common factors. Interventions that focus on increasing walking, mitigating diseases, stress, and activity limitations, and improving perceived health status can improve HRQoL.

Age-Standardized Breast Cancer Detection Rates of Breast Cancer Screening Program by Age Group in Korea; Comparison with Age-Standardized Incidence Rates from the Korea Central Cancer Registry.

To compare the epidemiological characteristics of a breast cancer screening program of patients between 40-69 years of age and ≥70 years of age, we calculated the age-standardized detection rate of the breast cancer screening program and compared it with the age-standardized incidence rate from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. The data of the breast cancer screening program from January 2009 to December 2016 and the data of the health insurance claims from January 2006 to August 2017 were used. In the 40-69 year age group, the age-standardized detection rate of breast cancer increased annually from 106.1 in 2009 to 158.6 in 2015 and did not differ from the age-standardized incidence rate. In the ≥70 year age group, the age-standardized detection rate of breast cancer increased annually from 65.7 in 2009 to 120.3 in 2015 and was 1.9 to 2.7 fold of the age­standardized incidence rate. It shows that the early detection effect of breast cancer screening was greater for patients over 70 years old. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of breast cancer detection in the ≥70 year age group on all-cause mortality or breast cancer mortality.