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Health-Related Quality of Life After the 2015 Gorkha Earthquakes, Among Older Adults Living in Lalitpur District of Central Nepal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2020

Sabina Wagle ,
Kwanjai Amnatsatsue ,
Bipin Adhikari Open the ORCID record for Bipin Adhikari [Opens in a new window] ,
Patcharaporn Kerdmongkol ,
Marc Van der Putten  and
Pimpan Silpasuwan
Sabina Wagle*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Kwanjai Amnatsatsue
Affiliation:
Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Bipin Adhikari
Affiliation:
Nepal Community Health and Development Centre, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Patcharaporn Kerdmongkol
Affiliation:
Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Marc Van der Putten
Affiliation:
Faculty of Public Health, Thammasart University, Bangkok, Thailand
Pimpan Silpasuwan
Affiliation:
Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Sabina Wagle, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, 420/1 Ratchawithi Rd, Thung Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok10400, Thailand (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Objective:

Health-related quality of life (HQL) among older adults is often neglected and underprioritized in developing countries and is further burdened during natural disasters, such as earthquakes. The main objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting HQL among older adults living in Lalitpur District of Nepal.

Methods:

A total of 362 older adults participated in this study. Questionnaires were used to interview the respondents on various aspects, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, functional ability, and social support. An analysis was made to explore the factors affecting HQL.

Results:

HQL scores ranged between 3.13 and 90.63. A majority of the respondents (215/362; 59.4%) scored ≤ 50, indicating poorer HQL. The multivariate analysis found the impact of the following factors on HQL: functional status (β = 0.295; P < 0.001), PTSD (β = −0.225; P < 0.001), chronic disease (β = −0.168; P < 0.001), social support (β = 0.120; P = 0.019), injury (β = −0.104; P = 0.024), age (β = −0.116; P < 0.001), and accessibility to resources.

Conclusion:

Poor HQL of older adults was dependent on various factors. The disaster preparedness program in Nepal needs urgent attention to address the concerns of older adults by incorporating the findings from this study.

Keywords

Gorkha earthquakes 2015health-related quality of lifeNepalolder adults
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , June 2021 , pp. 298 - 307
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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