title: Impact of socio-economic factors on quality of life in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in an African setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quality of life (QOL) is an important outcome following the treatment of disease. It is influenced by physical, psychological, social and economic factors. We proposed to determine the effect of some socioeconomic factors on QOL of patients on CAPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional study in which all patients on CAPD attending three clinics attached to the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg were recruited excluding those with intercurrent illness. The WHO quality of life instrument, WHOQOL-Bref, was used to measure QOL. The patients were grouped according to marital status, highest level of education attained, income, employment, and QOL domain scores were compared using ANOVA and Student t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 140 patients comprising 80 males and 40 females were assessed. The mean age of patients was 41.9 ± 11.5 years, 95%of patients were black, 44.3% married, 69.3% had secondary education, 22% were employed and 51.4% had a monthly income of less than five thousand Rand (500 US dollars). Single patients scored better in the social relationships domain compared to separated patients (p=0.02, CI: 5.6-32.9). The group with secondary education scored low in the psychological domain compared with those with primary education (p=0.02, CI: 1.35-15.8) and those with tertiary education (p=0.02, CI: 1.72-18.07).The highest income group had best scores in all domains except the physical domain. Those in employment had better scores in the physical domain (p=0.04, CI: 0.356-12.549).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Income had the most impact on QOL in study participants.
authors.affiliation: Renal Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City Nigeria.
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Okaka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naidoo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naicker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010531:Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory; D011788:Quality of Life; D013019:South Africa; D055815:Young Adult