Global quality of life modifies terminal change in physical functioning among older adult women.
BACKGROUND
the factors that moderate decline in physical functioning as death approaches are understudied. This study aimed to assess death-related decline in global quality of life (QoL) and physical functioning and to test whether baseline QoL moderates terminal decline in physical functioning.


METHODS
four thousand six hundred and fifty-one decedents from the Women's Health Initiative Study (WHI) rated QoL and physical functioning each year throughout 5 years of follow-up.


RESULTS
both QoL and physical functioning showed a steeper decline as a function of years to death than as a function of chronological age. Moreover, decedents with higher QoL at baseline showed a less steep decline in physical functioning as death approached than those with lower QoL at baseline.


CONCLUSIONS
although QoL strongly decreases across the terminal years, its beneficial influence on physical functioning is evident till the very end of life.
Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Amit
A
Shrira
The Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Oleg
O
Zaslavsky
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Public Health Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
Andrea Z
AZ
LaCroix
College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Rebecca
R
Seguin
Center for Medical Humanities, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Stephen
S
Post
Division of Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburg, PA, USA.
Hilary
H
Tindle
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Melanie
M
Hingle
School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Nancy
N
Woods
School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Barbara
B
Cochrane
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
Lorena
L
Garcia
Yeshiva College, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA.
Eliezer
E
Schnall
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Public Health Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
Eileen
E
Rillamas-Sun
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Yuval
Y
Palgi
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
Women's Health Initiative; global quality of life; older people; physical functioning; terminal change