Socioeconomic correlates of quality of life for non-Māori in advanced age: Te Puāwaitanga o Nga Tapuwae Kia ora Tonu. Life and Living in Advanced Age: a Cohort Study in New Zealand (LiLACS NZ).
OBJECTIVE
To establish socioeconomic and cultural profiles and correlates of quality of life (QoL) in non-Māori of advanced age.


METHODS
A cross sectional analysis of the baseline data of a cohort study of 516 non-Māori aged 85 years living in the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua areas of New Zealand. Socioeconomic and cultural characteristics were established by face-to-face interviews in 2010. Health-related QoL (HRQoL) was assessed with the SF-12.


RESULTS
Of the 516 non-Māori participants enrolled in the study, 89% identified as New Zealand European, 10% other European, 1% were of Pacific, Asian or Middle Eastern ethnicity; 20% were born overseas and half of these identified as 'New Zealand European.' More men were married (59%) and more women lived alone (63%). While 89% owned their own home, 30% received only the New Zealand Superannuation as income and 22% reported that they had 'just enough to get along on'. More than 85% reported that they had sufficient practical and emotional support; 11% and 6% reported unmet need for practical and emotional support respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that those with unmet needs for practical and emotional support had lower mental HR QoL (p<0.005). Reporting that family were important to wellbeing was associated with higher mental HR QoL (p=0.038). Those that did not need practical help (p=0.047) and those that reported feeling comfortable with their money situation (0.0191) had higher physical HRQoL. High functional status was strongly associated with both high mental and high physical HR QoL (p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Among our sample of non-Māori people of advanced age, those with unmet support needs reported low HRQoL. Functional status was most strongly associated with mental and physical HRQoL.
Professor and Head, School of Population Health, Tāmaki, University of Auckland.
Ngaire
N
Kerse
enior Lecturer, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Tāmaki, University of Auckland.
Ruth
R
Teh
Statistician, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland.
Simon A
SA
Moyes
Senior Lecturer, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Tāmaki, University of Auckland.
Lorna
L
Dyall
Senior Lecturer, Social and Community Health, School of Population Health, Tāmaki Campus, University of Auckland.
Janine L
JL
Wiles
Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Tāmaki Campus, University of Auckland.
Mere
M
Kēpa
Senior Lecturer, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Auckland.
Carol
C
Wham
Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Tāmaki Campus, University of Auckland.
Karen
K
Hayman
Freemasons' Professor of Geriatric Medicine, Freemason's Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Auckland and Waitemata District Health Board.
Martin
M
Connolly
Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Tim
T
Wilkinson
Associate Professor, School of Occupational Science and Therapy, and Co-Director Active Ageing Research Group Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.
Valerie
V
Wright St Clair
Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Sally
S
Keeling
Senior Research Fellow, Freemason's Department of Geriatric Medicine, North Shore, University of Auckland.
Joanna
J
Broad
Associate Professor, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship & Globalisation, Deakin University Waterfront Campus, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Otago, Wellington.
Santosh
S
Jatrana
Professor of Biostatistics, Department of Statistics, University of Auckland.
Thomas
T
Lumley
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009520:New Zealand; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*