Qualidade de vida em adultos da zona rural de Pelotas-RS: estudo de base populacional

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the quality of life (QOL) and factors that may be associated with health in a rural residence population. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out in individuals from rural area of the southern Brazil municipality. The QOL was assessed by the WHOQOL-BREF, divided into four domains (physical, psychological, social relationships and environmental), and 2 questions of global QOL and satisfaction with health. The independent variables assessed were gender, age, skin color, schooling, index, number of residents per household, employment, living with a partner and percentage of life in rural areas. The association were assessed through linear regression for the four QOL domains and ordinal regression for the two global questions of QOL and satisfaction with health. Both analyses were adjusted using hierarchical approach. P-value<0,05 criterion and CI95% were used to assess statistical significance. Results The sample was comprised of 1.479 individuals. The women had worse QOL for the physical (p<0,001), psychological (p<0,001) and environment domains (p=0,005) and had a worse perception of global QOL (p=0,001). Age was inversely associated with the QOL average scores for physical (p<0,001), psychological (p=0,001) and social relationships domains (p<0,001), as well as for perception of global QOL (p=0,001) and satisfaction with health (p<0,001). Those with other skin color (p=0,004) and live all life in the rural area (95%CI=1,00-1,82) were associated with worse global QOL. Those with lower education had a lower QOL average score than the those with higher educational level in the physical (p=0,020), psychological domains (p<0,001) and perception of global QOL (p<0,001). The poorest quintiles had worst QOL averages than the wealthiest in the physical (95%CI=1,49-7,87), psychological (95%CI=1,73-6,95), social relationships (95%CI=2,49-7,45), environment domains (95%CI=4,70-10,63) and perception of global QOL (95%CI=0,24–0,65). Those who lived with five or more people reported worse means of global QOL in the social relations domains (p=0,001) and the fact that they were employed was associated with better QOL in the physical (p<0,001), psychological (p=0,034) domains, social relations (p=0,050) and health satisfaction (p=0,023). Living with a partner is associated to the best QOL, only in the psychological domain (p=0,019) and to live the entire life in the rural area was associated with a lower chance of improving the overall QOL (95%CI=1,00-1,82). Conclusion: Considering that the factors associated with QOL are considered health indicators, the results indicate some characteristics that can negatively impact the public health of this population.