[Social inequality and changes in quality of life among the elderly in rural areas of the Province of Cuenca (Spain) between 1994 and 2002].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate changes in quality of life (QoL) in a sample of elderly community-dwelling individuals. Overall QoL was evaluated, in addition to the dimensions of physical health (PH), mental health (MH), activities of daily living (ADL), economic resources (ER) and social resources (SR).


METHODS
Of a sample of 918 persons aged more than 64 years old in the Province of Cuenca (Spain), QoL was measured in 519 in 1994 by means of the Quality of Life for the Elderly (QLE) questionnaire, developed from the OARS-MFAQ Older Americans Resources and Services Multidimensional Functional Assesment Questionaire. In 2002, with a 3.6% loss, the QLE was administered again in all participants that were still alive and non-institutionalized. The results were compared for the two periods and the factors associated with variation in QoL were estimated by means of multiple regression analysis.


RESULTS
Of the 519 participants at baseline, 130 died (25%) and 14 (12.7%) were institutionalised. Elderly individuals who were still alive in 2002 showed a general worsening in their overall QoL, specifically in the variables of ADL, PH and MH. However, after adjusting for age, we found that overall QoL was better in 2002 than in 1994. Logistic regression revealed that the factors associated with a lesser decrease in QoL were education, being male, lower age, and being widowed.


CONCLUSIONS
QoL in community-dwelling elderly individuals in the Province of Cuenca improved between 1994 and 2002.
Ceresuela López
Amelia
A
Centro de Salud de Landete, Cuenca, España. ameliaceresuela@terra.es
Rubio Rubio
Saúl
S
Rodríguez Rodríguez
Belén
B
David Domingo
José M
JM
Cuerda Segurola
Carmen
C
Lorente Aznar
Teófilo
T
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain