title: The Influence of Chronic Illness and Lifestyle Behaviors on Quality of Life among Older Thais.
abstract: Chronic conditions and lifestyle behaviors have a detrimental influence on the quality of life for seniors because of physical disability and emotional concerns. This study aimed to assess the influence of chronic illness, smoking, and alcohol use on quality of life among Thai seniors. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three communities, selected purposively from the North, Northeast, and Central regions, and 1278 senior participants were recruited. Binary logistic regression was used to predict the influence of factors on quality of life with adjusted covariates. Most participants were aged 60-70 years and married, earned 500-1,000 Baht/month (US $17-$35), had one chronic illness, and were nonsmokers and nondrinkers. Surprisingly, there appeared to be no link between chronic conditions and quality of life. Current drinkers were more likely to have a high quality of life, with Odds Ratios of 2.16 for men and 2.73 for women. Seniors of both genders who were current drinkers were more likely to accept death and dying and this improved their quality of life. Social participation in alcohol consumption may encourage seniors to share their concerns about death and dying and eventually accept this as a foundation of life.
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
authors.forename: Ratana
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4425-1760
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Somrongthong
authors.affiliation: Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Phayao 56000, Thailand.
authors.forename: Donnapa
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7584-9496
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hongthong
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sunanta
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7057-4227
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wongchalee
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia.
authors.forename: Nualnong
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wongtongkam
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000401:mortality*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012907:Smoking / Q000401:mortality*; D013785:Thailand