Gender differences in quality of life among community-dwelling older adults in low- and middle-income countries: results from the Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE)

Abstract

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is an important component of individuals' general well-being, particularly in older adults. However, factors influencing QoL among older adults in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) have not been fully examined. Furthermore, the role of gender differences in relation to QoL in multiple LMICs has also not been examined in detail. Methods: This study used data from the World Health Organization's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), Wave-1. Based on a literature review of existing works, a set of variables-an independent variable and covariates-were selected. The study sample consisted of 33,019 participants aged 50 years and above from China, Ghana, India, Russia, and South Africa. Multivariate linear regression models were estimated with the World Health Organization QoL scores as the dependent variable. To preserve the analytical sample size, multiple imputation was used to account for missing data. Results: The results showed that generally, male older adults reported a better QoL than female older adults across all of the countries. The associations between QoL and sociodemographic factors, health-related factors, and social support factors among older adults differed according to country. Conclusions: This study provides a better understanding of QoL among older adults in LMICs, which can help prepare LMICs to better address the QoL of older adults. The results of this study can be used to develop programs to promote better living standards and services to reduce gender disparities and ultimately, to improve the QoL among older adults in LMICs.

Income Inequality in Quality of Life among Rural Communities in Malaysia: A Case for Immediate Policy Consideration

“…Corroborating this, a meta-analysis of 146 studies showed negligible effects of gender on well-being, where it only accounted for less than 1% of the well-being scores [ 58 ], which also paralleled the findings of a cross-country study [ 58 ]. The lack of statistical significance could be a consequence of the increasing awareness of gender equality, which provides equal roles and opportunities to both males and females in the decision making process [ 64 ]. However, this negated the results of other studies that concluded a better QOL among men than females in rural areas.…”

“…The outcome from this study also showed a better perceived QOL across all domains among younger residents (age 18 to 59 years) than the elderly (60 years and above), which was consistent with the results of previous works [ 41 , 50 , 65 ]. The deteriorating health conditions, including mental health, limited mobility and age-related prejudice, most likely explains the poor psychological, physical, social and environmental domains of QOL among the elderly population [ 41 , 64 , 66 ].…”

The relationship between physical performance and quality of life and the level of physical activity among the elderly

“…[ 12 ] Previous studies have assessed the psychometric properties and reported good internal consistencies (0.72–0.85) and acceptable convergent validity (0.61–0.77) with WHO QOL BREF. [ 13 14 15 ]…”

Sex and Heart Failure Treatment Prescription and Adherence

“…Women are generally more symptomatic than men when they present with HFrEF (100), which could in turn be related to a later medical contact, minimization of symptoms, acceptance of a poorer quality of life (101) and a prioritization of their social role as caregivers. Due to underrepresentation in clinical trials, we have limited information on the efficacy and adverse effects of therapies in women.…”