title: Adverse lifestyle and health-related quality of life: gender differences in patients with and without chronic conditions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to investigate the relationship between the main lifestyle-related factors and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of patients with and without chronic conditions (CCs) with respect to the gender differences in both groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1061 patients (of which 308 had no CCs and 753 of those had one or more CCs) recruited at primary health care centres and the Internal Medicine Clinic at Tartu University Hospital in Estonia. Data were collected during 2012-2014. The patient's age, self-reported smoking status, alcohol consumption (assessed by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and body mass index were used as independent variables to predict the physical component scores (PCS) and mental component scores (MCS) of HRQoL (assessed by SF-36).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smoking had a negative association with both physical and mental components of HRQoL only in women with CCs. Further, the PCS of chronically ill women was negatively associated with the higher body mass index. Harmful drinking had a negative association with the HRQoL in all patient groups, except with the PCS in women with CC. Light alcohol consumption without symptoms of harmful use or dependency had a positive association with the physical and mental HRQoL in all patient groups, except with the MCS in women without CCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adverse lifestyle had the most expressed association with HRQoL in women with CCs. Light alcohol consumption had a positive association, but harmful use of alcohol had an inverse association with HRQoL irrespective of patients' gender or health status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia kaja.polluste@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Kaja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Põlluste
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aart
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Riina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kallikorm
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Mart
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kull
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Kati
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kärberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Raili
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Mai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ots-Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Anni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tolk
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uhlinova
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Margus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lember
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004957:Estonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol consumption; body mass index (BMI); chronic conditions; gender; health-related quality of life (HRQoL); lifestyle; smoking