Gender differences in health-related quality of life among healthy aged and old-aged Austrians: cross-sectional analysis.
BACKGROUND
Although they experience lower mortality rates and lower rates of several chronic diseases than do their male counterparts, aging women are more likely to experience functional impairment in mobility and a general diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The determinants of these gender differences have been the subject of controversy.


OBJECTIVE
This study analyzed gender differences in HRQoL in relation to social and biomedical factors such as age, marital status, educational level, and living arrangements.


METHODS
Participants were recruited via snowball sampling. All were healthy and lived independently in private homes. Data were obtained from personal interviews, based on a 30-item questionnaire, in the private homes of the participants. Additionally, HRQoL was assessed by means of the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) 26-item questionnaire, which contains 1 general health item, 1 general QoL item, and 24 specific items covering 4 broad domains: physical (DOM I), psychological (DOM II), social (DOM III), and environmental (DOM IV).


RESULTS
The participants (98 women, 62 men) enrolled in the study ranged in age from 57 to 95 years (mean [SD] age: 71.8 [8.6] years). The younger age group (aged 57-70 years) comprised 54 women and 25 men, and the older age group (aged >70 years) comprised 44 women and 37 men. Women aged < or =70 years rated their health and QoL significantly higher than did men in the same age group (P = 0.02). These women rated physical capacity (DOM I), social relationships (DOM III), and environment (DOM IV) higher, but not statistically significantly different, than did same-aged men. Women and men exhibited nearly identical psychological health (DOM II) values. Physical capacity (DOM I) differed significantly between women and men aged >70 years (P = 0.03). Women aged >70 years rated their QoL lower than their male counterparts did, although not significantly so. These women depended more on medical treatment, felt significantly less safe in everyday life (P = 0.03), and were less satisfied with themselves. The results of the multiple regression analyses suggest that gender may have a significant impact on general QoL for both age groups (P < 0.01 for the younger age group; P > 0.04 for the older age group). In these analyses, gender also had a significant impact on 2 domains, physical capacity and social relationships (P < 0.02 for both domains), among the participants of the younger age group.


CONCLUSIONS
Depending on the age group (< or =70 vs >70 years) in this small sample of Austrian women and men, gender influenced HRQoL.
Kirchengast
Sylvia
S
Institute for Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. Sylvia.kirchengast@univie.ac.at
Haslinger
Beatrix
B
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors