title: Quality of life and urban / rural living: preliminary results of a community survey in Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this population-based study is to examine the association between subjective quality of life and rural/urban residence in six Italian regions, including age and gender into the analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  community survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples stratified according to sex and age, drawn from municipal records.
  
  
  METHODS
  4999 people 18 years and older, from seven communities within six regions of Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ad-hoc form to assess basic demographic data; SF-12. Interviewers were trained psychologists or medical doctors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  3398 subjects were interviewed (68% of recruited sample). The mean score of SF-12 in the overall sample was 38.4±6.1, SF-12 was higher in men than in in women (38.4±6.1 vs 37.5±5.9 F=99.18, df 1, 3396, 3397, p<0.0001); SF-12 score decreased from the youngest to the oldest age group, with significant differences between all ages groups; men showed higher scores in all age groups. The urban/rural difference of mean scores of SF-12 did not achieve statistical significance in women. Young men with urban residence had higher SF-12 scores than their counterparts with rural residence. Maen aged 65 years and older with rural residence showed, by contrast, higher scores than men from the same age group with urban residence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men show a higher subjective quality of life than women. Subjective quality of life decreases with age in both genders.Men are more sensitive to urban/rural residence than women.Young men live better in cities, elderly men better in rural areas.
authors.affiliation: University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro Giovanni
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Carta
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aguglia
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caraci
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'osso
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Sciascio
authors.forename: Guido Di
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Sciascio
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Drago
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Del Giudice
authors.forename: Emilio Del
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Giudice
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faravelli
authors.forename: Maria Carolina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hardoy
authors.forename: Maria Efisia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lecca
authors.forename: Maria Francesca
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calò
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casacchia
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Angermeyer
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balestrieri