[Relationship between status of physical and mental function and quality of life among the elderly people admitted from long-term care insurance].
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to determine the levels of quality of life (QOL) according to the grade of long-term care service for the elderly people who were admitted from long-term care insurance, and to reveal its association with the physical and mental functioning such as the Activity of Daily Living (ADL), the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Mini-Mental State Examination-Korean version (MMSE-K).


METHODS
The interviews were performed during the period from March 1 to May 31, 2009, for 958 elderly people in urban and rural areas. The questionnaire items included various indices such as the ADL, IADL, CES-D, and MMSE-K, as independent variables and the index of QOL, as the dependent ones. For statistical analysis, t-tests were used for the mean scores of QOL according to gender and the grade of long-term care services, and Spearman's correlation was used for each variable. The effects of physical and mental functioning for QOL were assessed by covariance structure analysis. The statistical significance was set at p<0.05.


RESULTS
The mean scores of QOL among all the subjects was 55.4 ± 15.62 (Grade I: 49.7 ± 14.17, Grade II: 56.8 ± 14.62, Grade III: 59.4 ± 16.36), and it was lower according to the higher grade of long-term care insurance. In terms of the correlation matrix of the QOL and the physical and mental function factors, the QOL showed positive correlation with the ADL, IADL and MMSE-K, while it had negative correlation with depression. On the analysis of covariance, mental functioning (depression and the MMSE-K) had a greater influence on the level of QOL than the physical functioning (ADL and IADL).


CONCLUSIONS
The level of the QOL in the elderly people who were admitted from long-term care insurance was lower according to higher the grade of long-term care insurance. Also, the mental functioning (depression and MMSE-K) was more influential on the level of the QOL than the physical functioning (ADL and IADL).
Kim
Hyeong Seon
HS
Department of Public Health, Graduate School Chungnam National University, Korea.
Bae
Nam Kyou
NK
Kwon
In Sun
IS
Cho
Young Chae
YC
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007353:Insurance, Long-Term Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors