Determining the quality of life of the African students in İzmir and evaluating the associated factors

Method: A cross-sectional study was planned and conducted. The population of the study consists of 352 students who are members of African Students Association. The study was conducted in dormitories where students reside (Inciralti dormitory, Cigli male dormitory) or in the universities (Ege University, Dokuz Eylül University). The students were interviewed face to face and completed a questionnaire consisting of 3 sections. WHOQOL-BREF quality of life scale was used to determine the dependent variable of quality of life. Independent variables; socio-demographic characteristics; health status and habits; and social cohesion. In order to determine the social cohesion of the participants, "University Social Adaptation Scale 20 consisting of 20 questions was used. The data of the study were evaluated using SPSS 20.0 program. P <0.05 was considered significant. The relationship between quality of life score and independent variables was evaluated by t-test and ANOVA analysis. Results: 28.6% of the students were girls and 74.4% were boys. The mean age of the students was 23.78±2.61. Students' scores on WOQOL-BREF sub-dimensions: physical health 12,70±2,80, general health status 15,90±0,70, psychology 11,40±1,70, social 14,38±3,34, environment was calculated as 5,45±1,80. Students who were studying in the Faculty of Science, having good Turkish reading levels and having good Turkish writing levels had significantly higher scores in the WOQOL-BREF quality of life physical sub-dimension (p <0.05). The students who had a good Turkish reading level, the students who had TÖMER language level C1, the students who had higher social cohesion levels, who had health insurance and the students who had more income than the expenditure had significantly higher scores in the WOQOL-BREF quality of life psychological sub-dimension (p <0.05). The students of the Faculty of Science, undergraduate students, students with low income, students with moderate Turkish writing level, students with TÖMER language level C1, and students with low social cohesion levels had significantly higher scores in the WOQOL-BREF quality of life socail sub-dimension (p <0.05). Conclusion: It was determined that the quality of life of African students studying in İzmir was affected by age, income, department of health insurance, Turkish literacy level and social cohesion level. Improving relevant risk factors will help to improve the quality of life for African students.