[Quality of life in homebound elderly people in a district of Alicante (Spain)]. / Estudio de la calidad de vida en las personas mayores confinadas en el domicilio en un barrio de Alicante.

OBJECTIVE: To measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in homebound elderly individuals in the District of San Blas (Alicante, Spain). METHOD: The sample was composed of 107 people aged more than 75 years old included in the home care program. As a measurement instrument, the Spanish version of COOP/WONCA charts in their complete version were used. RESULTS: The mean age was 83.18 years. Distribution by sex was 76 (71%) women and 31 (29%) men. The mean overall score was 29.7 points with a standard deviation of 5.04. The association between age and total score was 0.19, which was statistically significant (p = 0.045). Comparison of these two means with Student's t-test for independent samples showed no statistically significant differences (t = -580; p > 0.05). When differences between men and women in each of the items of the scale were analyzed, only "social activities" showed a statistically significant difference (t = -2.959; p = 0.04). The time taken to administer the questionnaire was 30 +/- 5 min. CONCLUSIONS: HRQoL in our population is worse than that in other studied populations. Due to the ceiling-floor effect of some of the variables, further studies in this type of population are required. The time used in this type of population to complete the questionnaire was five times greater than that used in other populations.

Estudio de la calidad de vida en las personas mayores confinadas en el domicilio en un barrio de Alicante / Quality of life in homebound elderly people in a district of Alicante (Spain)

Objetivo. Medir la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en personas mayores confinadas en el domicilio en el Barrio de San Blas de Alicante. Método. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 107 personas mayores de 75 años incluidas en el programa de atención domiciliaria. Como instrumento de medida se utilizó la versión española de las láminas COOP/WONCA en su versión completa. Resultados. La edad media fue de 83,18 años. La distribución por sexo fue de 76 (71%) mujeres y 31 (29%) varones. La puntuación global media fue de 29,7 con una desviación estándar de 5,04. La asociación entre la edad y la puntuación total fue de 0,19, estadísticamente significativa (p = 0,045). Al comparar estas 2 medias con la prueba t de Student de muestras independientes no resultaron estadísticamente significativas (t = ­580; p > 0,05). En cuanto a la diferencia de varones y mujeres en cada uno de los ítems de la escala tan sólo las "actividades sociales" mostraron diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre varones y mujeres (t = ­2,959; p = 0,04). El tiempo empleado para realizar la encuesta fue de 30 ± 5 min. Conclusiones. La calidad de vida de nuestra población es peor que la de otras poblaciones estudiadas. Debido al efecto suelo-techo de algunas de las variables sería necesario realizar más estudios en este tipo de población. El tiempo empleado en este tipo de población para cumplimentar el cuestionario ha sido 5 veces superior que el empleado en otras poblaciones

Objective. To measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in homebound elderly individuals in the District of San Blas (Alicante, Spain). Method. The sample was composed of 107 people aged more than 75 years old included in the home care program. As a measurement instrument, the Spanish version of COOP/WONCA charts in their complete version were used. Results. The mean age was 83.18 years. Distribution by sex was 76 (71%) women and 31 (29%) men. The mean overall score was 29.7 points with a standard deviation of 5.04. The association between age and total score was 0.19, which was statistically significant (p = 0.045). Comparison of these two means with Student's t-test for independent samples showed no statistically significant differences (t = ­580; p > 0.05). When differences between men and women in each of the items of the scale were analyzed, only "social activities" showed a statistically significant difference (t = ­2.959; p = 0.04). The time taken to administer the questionnaire was 30 ± 5 min. Conclusions. HRQoL in our population is worse than that in other studied populations. Due to the ceiling-floor effect of some of the variables, further studies in this type of population are required. The time used in this type of population to complete the questionnaire was five times greater than that used in other populations