Background: Nowadays, in the developed countries, a long lifespan is no longer the exception to the rule, however there are still many people who even today do not manage to age with a good quality of life. The objectives of this study are, first of all, to contribute to a better knowledge of the main factors which have an impact on the quality of life and the perceived health condition of those over age 65 and, secondly, to determine what advantages and disadvantages involved in each one of the tools for gauging health and quality of life as compared to the other two tools employed.
Methods: Based on 911 home surveys of non-institutionalized individuals over age 65, a multivariate analysis was made using Logistic regression, relating the results obtained in the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), the EuroQol and the Self Perceived Health Status to the socio-demographic characteristics, the level of economic resources, the degree of social-family support, the physical and mental health condition and the functional capacity.
Results: The main factors related to the perception of a poor health condition and a poor quality of life in the EuroQol and the NHP are anxiety disorders (Odds Ratio ranging from 1.8(IC:1.2-2.8) for mobility and 7.9(IC:4.5-13.9) for Profile*11111), depressive disorders (OR:1.8(IC:1.3-2.6) for pain/discomfort-3.3(IC:2.1-5.1) for social isolation), lack of exercise (OR:1.4 (IC:1-2.1) for anxiety/depression -3.9(IC:2.5-6.2) for everyday activities), dependence for basic everyday living activities (OR:0.5(IC:0.3-0.9) for emotional reaction -4.8(IC:3-7.6) for everyday activities) and dependence for the instrumental daily living activities (OR:1.5(IC:1.1-2.1) for Analog Visual Scale c < 70-7.1(IC:2.9-17.2) for personal care).
Conclusions: Mental health and functioning capacity are the factors which have the greatest bearing on the perception of health condition and quality of life of individuals over age 65. Given that the three tools used have led to similar results, the EuroQol has advantages to offer due to its short length, including an overall evaluation by dimensions.