Individualized measurement of quality of life in older adults: development and pilot testing of a new tool.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Holzhausen M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5547354 | biostudies-other | 2010 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Similar Datasets
Project description:Background: The aim of the study was to develop a multidimensional quality of life instrument suitable for use among individuals across cultures who have an informal care role for older persons. Methods: Participants were informal carers of older adults in the United Kingdom (n = 308), United States (n = 164), and China (n = 131). We carried out exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of 61 items derived from the eight-factor Adult Carers Quality of Life Questionnaire with newly added items to define both traditional and nontraditional informal care roles. Results: Findings suggest a 24-item quality of life scale with a six-factor structure to caring for older adults that assesses (a) exhaustion, (b) adoption of a traditional carer role, (c) personal growth, (d) management and performance, (e) level of support, and (f) financial matters. Conclusion: We present a new scale to assess the multidimensional aspects of quality of life among those caring for older adults.
| S-EPMC7238784 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Alzheimer's disease has profound effects on quality of life, affecting not only cognition, but mobility and opportunities for social engagement. Dance is a form of movement that may be uniquely suited to help maintain quality of life for older adults, including those with dementia, because it inherently incorporates movement, social engagement, and cognitive stimulation. Here, we describe the methods and results of the pilot study for the IMOVE trial (NCT03333837, www.clinicaltrials.gov), a clinical trial designed to use improvisational dance classes to test the effects of movement and social engagement in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early-stage dementia. The pilot study was an 8-week investigation into the feasibility and potential effects of an improvisational dance intervention on people with MCI or early-stage dementia (PWD/MCI) and their caregivers (CG). The pilot aimed to assess changes in quality of life, balance, mood, and functional brain networks in PWD/MCI and their CG. Participants were recruited as dyads (pairs) that included one PWD/MCI and one CG. Ten total dyads were enrolled in the pilot study with five dyads assigned to the usual care control group and five dyads participating in the dance intervention. The intervention arm met twice weekly for 60 min for 8 weeks. Attendance and quality of life assessed with the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's disease (QoL-AD) questionnaire were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes included balance, mood and brain network connectivity assessed through graph theory analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Class attendance was 96% and qualitative feedback reflected participants felt socially connected to the group. Increases in quality of life and balance were observed, but not mood. Brain imaging analysis showed increases in multiple brain network characteristics, including global efficiency and modularity. Further investigation into the positive effects of this dance intervention on both imaging and non-imaging metrics will be carried out on the full clinical trial data. Results from the trial are expected in the summer of 2022.
| S-EPMC8795741 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by non-scarring hair loss. The lack of a definitive biomarker or formal diagnostic criteria for AA limits our ability to define the epidemiology of the disease. In this study, we developed and tested the Alopecia Areata Assessment Tool (ALTO) in an academic medical center to validate the ability of this questionnaire in identifying AA cases. METHODS:The ALTO is a novel, self-administered questionnaire consisting of 8 closed-ended questions derived by the Delphi method. This prospective pilot study was administered during a 1-year period in outpatient dermatology clinics. Eligible patients (18 years or older with chief concern of hair loss) were recruited consecutively. No patients declined to participate. The patient's hair loss diagnosis was determined by a board-certified dermatologist. Nine scoring algorithms were created and used to evaluate the accuracy of the ALTO in identifying AA. RESULTS:239 patients (59 AA cases and 180 non-AA cases) completed the ALTO and were included for analysis. Algorithm 5 demonstrated the highest sensitivity (89.8%) while algorithm 3 demonstrated the highest specificity (97.8%). Select questions were also effective in clarifying disease phenotype. CONCLUSION:In this study. we have successfully demonstrated that ALTO is a simple tool capable of discriminating AA from other types of hair loss. The ALTO may be useful to identify individuals with AA within large populations.
| S-EPMC5991373 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Instruments with acceptable measurement properties that support their application to older adults across a range of settings need to be identified. A narrative literature review of empirical studies investigating the conceptualization and measurement of quality of life (QoL) among older adults from 1994 to 2006 was performed. The review focused on evidence provided for conceptual frameworks, QoL definitions, types of measurements utilized and their psychometric properties. Two searches were conducted. The first search conducted in 2004 used Cinahl, Medline, PsycInfo, Embase and Cochrane databases. A supplemental search was conducted in December 2006, which included these bases from 2004 to 2006, and Sociological Abstracts and Anthropological literature base. The review included 47 papers. A total of 40 different measurements were applied in the studies, assessing most frequently functional status and symptoms. The most extensive psychometric evidence was documented for the SF-36. Although construct validity was reported in the majority of studies, minimal empirical evidence was given for other psychometric properties. Further, 87% of the studies lacked a conceptual framework and 55% did not report any methodological considerations related to older adults. Quality control standards, which can guide measurement assessment and subsequent data interpretation, are needed to enhance more consistent reporting of the psychometric properties of QoL instruments utilized. Future work on the development of common QoL assessment models that are both person-centered, causal and multidimensional based on collaborative efforts from professionals interested in QoL from the international gerontological research community are needed.
| S-EPMC5546366 | biostudies-other
Project description:BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a key outcome in arthritis, but few population-based studies have examined the relationship of specific arthritic conditions, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with HRQOL. METHODS: Older adults in Pennsylvania completed a mail version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HRQOL modules. Medicare data were used to identify subjects with OA, RA, and no arthritis diagnosis. We compared HRQOL responses among these groups, and we also examined relationships of demographic characteristics to HRQOL among subjects with arthritis. RESULTS: In analyses controlling for demographic characteristics and comorbidity, subjects with OA and RA had poorer scores than those without arthritis on all HRQOL items, including general health, physical health, mental health, activity limitation, pain, sleep, and feeling healthy and full of energy. HRQOL scores were also lower for those with RA compared to OA. Among individuals with arthritis, all subject characteristics (including age, race, sex, nursing home residence, marital status, income, and comorbid illnesses) were significantly related to at least one HRQOL item. Older age, nursing home residence, and greater comorbidity were the most consistently associated with poorer HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study show that both OA and RA have a significant impact on multiple dimensions of HRQOL among older adults. Results also suggest the CDC HRQOL items are suitable for use among older adults and in mail surveys. Due to the rising number of older adults in many countries, the public health burden of arthritis is expected to increase dramatically. Efforts are needed to enhance access to medical care and disseminate self-management interventions for arthritis.
| S-EPMC324570 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The objectives of this study are to detect the main components of global quality of life (QoL) of community-dwelling older adults from their own perspective and to identify determinants of health-related and global QoL in the same population. This is a cross-sectional study covering a representative sample of 1,106 community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older residing in Spain. The survey collected information on QoL through a face-to-face interview asking for QoL components in free-format, as well as the completion of two QoL measures, the EQ-5D and the Personal Wellbeing Index. The most important QoL dimensions, according to the participants of this study, were health, family, and finances. Depression was the main determinant of both QoL indices, while functional independence and social support specifically influenced health-related and global QoL, respectively. Based on the perspective of the older adults as well as on statistical analysis, this work emphasizes the importance of health, family, and social support as areas of special interest in aging. There was a discrepancy when comparing findings related to the importance of financial status. Results also support that global and health-related QoL share some common determinants, but with different weights for functional independence and social support.
| S-EPMC5547413 | biostudies-other
Project description:BACKGROUND:Prescription quality can be a direct predictor of the net outcome of a health care delivery effort. Quality of prescription may be considered as a cumulative matrix of multiple components of a prescription on the basis of their relative importance. Prescription quality index is a recognized tool in clinical medicine for multiple purposes including the prediction of health care intervention outcome. OBJECTIVES:Considering the importance of prescription quality among every system of medicine, an attempt was made to design a prescription quality index for Ayurveda. MATERIALS AND METHODS:The Prescription Quality Index for Ayurveda was designed through item selection following a thorough literature search and was validated through multiple peer group discussions. Final draft of index containing 38 individual items carrying different scores as per their importance in the prescription was subjected to a pilot test upon 1576 indoor prescriptions generated in 2015 at State Ayurvedic College Hospital, Lucknow. RESULTS:The study revealed large information gaps in the components of the prescription where it was supposed to be noted by the prescribers. These gaps in the Ayurvedic prescriptions were most significant in the areas pertaining to Ayurvedic fundamentals of clinical examination, disease diagnosis and Ayurvedic drug intake methods. CONCLUSION:Prescription Quality Index for Ayurveda was found useful in underlining the gaps between the ideal and generated prescriptions. This can be utilized as a useful tool to evaluate the quality of Ayurvedic prescriptions by seeing their adherence to the standard prescription template.
| S-EPMC6938884 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PURPOSE:Patient priorities for quality of life change with age. We conducted a qualitative study to identify quality of life themes of importance to older adults receiving dialysis and the extent to which these are represented in existing quality of life instruments. METHODS:We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 adults aged???75 years receiving hemodialysis to elicit participant perspectives on what matters most to them in life. We used framework analysis methodology to process interview transcripts (coding, charting, and mapping), identify major themes, and compare these themes by participant frailty status. We examined for representation of our study's subthemes in the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL-36) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life for Older Adults (WHOQOL-OLD) instruments. RESULTS:Among the 12 participants, average age was 81 (4.2) years, 7 African-American, 6 women, and 6 met frailty criteria. We identified two major quality of life themes: (1) having physical well-being (subthemes: being able to do things independently, having symptom control, maintaining physical health, and being alive) and (2) having social support (subthemes: having practical social support, emotional social support, and socialization). Perspectives on the subthemes often varied by frailty status. For example, being alive meant surviving from day-to-day for frail participants, but included a desire for new life experiences for non-frail participants. The majority of the subthemes did not correspond with domains in the KDQOL-36 and WHOQOL-OLD instruments. CONCLUSION:Novel instruments are likely needed to elicit the dominant themes of having physical well-being and having social support identified by older adults receiving dialysis.
| S-EPMC7028790 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Loneliness is a serious concern in aging populations. The key risk factors include poor health, depression, poor material circumstances, and low social participation and social support. Oral disease and tooth loss have a significant negative impact on the quality of life and well-being of older adults. However, there is a lack of studies relating oral health to loneliness. This study investigated the association between oral health-related quality of life (through the use of the oral impact on daily performances-OIDP-measure) and loneliness amongst older adults living in England. Data from respondents aged 50 and older from the third (2006-2007) and fifth (2010-2011) waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing were analyzed. In the cross-sectional logistic regression model that adjusted for socio-demographic, socio-economic, health, and psychosocial factors, the odds of loneliness were 1.48 (1.16-1.88; p < 0.01) higher amongst those who reported at least one oral impact compared to those with no oral impact. Similarly, in the fully adjusted longitudinal model, respondents who reported an incident oral impact were 1.56 times (1.09-2.25; p < 0.05) more likely to become lonely. The association between oral health-related quality of life and loneliness was attenuated after adjusting for depressive symptoms, low social participation, and social support. Oral health-related quality of life was identified as an independent risk factor for loneliness amongst older adults. Maintaining good oral health in older age may be a protective factor against loneliness.
| S-EPMC5435788 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundInterpretation of health-related quality of life (QOL) outcomes requires improved methods to control for the effects of multiple chronic conditions (MCC). This study systematically compared legacy and improved method effects of aggregating MCC on the accuracy of predictions of QOL outcomes.MethodsOnline surveys administered generic physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) QOL outcome measures, the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), an expanded chronic condition checklist (CCC), and individualized QOL Disease-specific Impact Scale (QDIS) ratings in a developmental sample (N = 5490) of US adults. Controlling for sociodemographic variables, regression models compared 12- and 35-condition checklists, mortality vs. population QOL-weighting, and population vs. individualized QOL weighting methods. Analyses were cross-validated in an independent sample (N = 1220) representing the adult general population. Models compared estimates of variance explained (adjusted R2) and model fit (AIC) for generic PCS and MCS across aggregation methods at baseline and nine-month follow-up.ResultsIn comparison with sociodemographic-only regression models (MCS R2 = 0.08, PCS = 0.09) and Charlson CCI models (MCS R2 = 0.12, PCS = 0.16), increased variance was accounted for using the 35-item CCC (MCS R2 = 0.22, PCS = 0.31), population MCS/PCS QOL weighting (R2 = 0.31-0.38, respectively) and individualized QDIS weighting (R2 = 0.33 & 0.42). Model R2 and fit were replicated upon cross-validation.ConclusionsPhysical and mental outcomes were more accurately predicted using an expanded MCC checklist, population QOL rather than mortality CCI weighting, and individualized rather than population QOL weighting for each reported condition. The 3-min combination of CCC and QDIS ratings (QDIS-MCC) warrant further testing for purposes of predicting and interpreting QOL outcomes affected by MCC.
| S-EPMC9277868 | biostudies-literature