Quality of life perceptions of middle-aged women living with a disability in Muang district, Khon Kaen, Thailand: WHOQOL perspective.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Measure the quality of life of middle-aged women with a disability and examine the association of their quality of life and socio-demographic factors. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cross-sectional study was applied Thirty-two women with disabilities aged 40-60 years were selected by using stratified random sampling. The WHOQOL-BREF-THAI, Modified Barthel ADL Index (BAI), Chula ADL Index (CAI), and Estrogen hormone deficit syndrome questionnaires were applied Data were analyzed by using descriptive analysis and Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: The level of their overall quality of life, when measuring all dimensions of WHOQOL, was moderate. Overall, QOL perceptions correlated positively and significantly with BAI (r(s) = 0.4848, p = 0.0048), CAI (r(s) = 0.5963, p = 0.0005), and their income balance (r = 0.4124, p = 0.0150), while other factors such as marital status, educational level, occupation, duration of disability, disability level, health problem, and estrogen hormone deficit syndrome were not statistically significant correlated. CONCLUSION: The present study results revealed that independency and financial sufficiency are significant factors on quality of life of disabled middle-age women. Promoting independency and financial status may be crucial for enhancing their quality of life.