title: Domains of importance to the quality of life of older people from two Swiss regions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quality of life (QoL) is a subjective perception whose components may vary in importance between individuals. Little is known about which domains of QoL older people deem most important.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated in community-dwelling older people the relationships between the importance given to domains defining their QoL and socioeconomic, demographic and health status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were compiled from older people enrolled in the Lc65+ cohort study and two additional, population-based, stratified random samples (n = 5,300). Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to determine the underlying domains among 28 items that participants defined as important to their QoL. The components extracted were used as dependent variables in multiple linear regression models to explore their associations with socioeconomic, demographic and health status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PCA identified seven domains that older persons considered important to their QoL. In order of importance (highest to lowest): feeling of safety, health and mobility, autonomy, close entourage, material resources, esteem and recognition, and social and cultural life. A total of six and five domains of importance were significantly associated with education and depressive symptoms, respectively. The importance of material resources was significantly associated with a good financial situation (β = 0.16, P = 0.011), as was close entourage with living with others (β = 0.20, P = 0.007) and as was health and mobility with age (β = -0.16, P = 0.014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The importance older people give to domains of their QoL appears strongly related to their actual resources and experienced losses. These findings may help clinicians, researchers and policy makers better adapt strategies to individuals' needs.
authors.affiliation: University of Lausanne Hospital Centre, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Henchoz
authors.affiliation: University of Lausanne Hospital Centre, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meylan
authors.affiliation: Pro Senectute Canton Vaud, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goy
authors.affiliation: University of Lausanne Hospital Centre, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland Unit of Population Epidemiology, Department of Community Medicine and Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Idris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guessous
authors.affiliation: Service of Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Rehabilitation, University of Lausanne Hospital Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bula
authors.affiliation: Pro Senectute Canton Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demont
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rodondi
authors.affiliation: University of Lausanne Hospital Centre, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Santos-Eggimann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012449:Safety; D012649:Self Concept; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland
keywords: importance; older people; population characteristics; quality of life