The quality of life with the influencing factors among the population over 65 age dwelling in Şehitkâmil and Şahinbey central districts in Gaziantep province

Backgroud and ObjectivesQuality of life, being happy and being pleased with the life itself are concepts used to explain ?being well? in general. The objective of the study is to define the quality of life and factors influencing dwelling in Gaziantep provincial center.Materials and MethodThis study is a sectional type research. The research universe consists of the individuals over 65 dwelling in the districts of Şehitkamil and Şahinbey, in Gaziantep province. . The group sampling method leaning against the population has been used in the sampling choice. Sixty groups and ten individuals from each group, in total 632 old individuals were interviewed face to face between the dates of December 2007 and May 2008. The quality of life scale used in collecting data is the quality of life old age module (WHOQOL-OLD) of the World Health Organization consisting of six areas in Turkish version. The total point was figured at 100, range points were figured at 16. 592 of 632 old people falling within the research were applied the WHOQOL-OLD module survey questions. Analysis of data was carried out by the program of SPSS- 9.O. The chi-square, Mann-Whiney U, Kruskall Wallis, ANOVA, and logistic regresion tests were used in the analysis.ResultsThe old people in the extent of the research are 45.9% men and 54.1% women. 63.9% of the old people are between 65-74 ages, 29.7% are between 75-84 ages, and 6.4% are 85 and over ages groups. 58.1% of them are uneducated and %11.2 graduated from primary school. Most of the old people live with their spouses or children and 12.9% live alone. Quality of life average point has been defined as 55.8±0.5. The quality of life ranges that are sensory abilities, autonomy, past, present and future activities, social participation, death and die and intimacy are in order: 11.5±0.1, 9.0±0.1, 8.1±0.1, 5.9±0.1, 11.9 ±0.1 ve 9.4±0.1. Quality of life is for men (59.0±0.7), 65-74 age group (57.4±0.6), for the graduated from secondary and over education (68.5±1.7), for those dwelling in urban (56.1±0.5), for those having well earning levels (62.4±0.8), for those owning registered estate (57.6±0.5), living with their spouses (59.1±0.7) found significant (p<0.05). According to the results of logistics regression, the variables influencing old people?s quality of life are being in the group of 65-74 age (OR=2.2), being graduated from primary or over education (OR=7.9), having monthly income (OR=2.3), working still (OR=6.6) and not having a chronic illness (OR=4.0).ConclusionThe average point of the old people?s quality of life dwelling in Gaziantep provincial centre is 55 over 100. The quality of life is lower than the developed countries, coherent with the assets defined in Turkey.