Relationships of Quality of Life and Activities of Daily Living in Elderly, Na Ka Cha Subdistrict, Chawang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.

Abstract

             The cross-sectional survey research study aims to investigate the quality of life and the ability to perform daily activities and to study the relationship between quality of life and the ability to perform daily activities among elderly individuals in Nakacha Sub-district, Chawang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The population under study consists of 959 elderly individuals. By calculating, the sample size is determined to be 166 individuals. The sampling method employed is simple random sampling. The tool used for data collection is a questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questionnaire is found to be 0.81. The analysis will be conducted using descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

            The research findings indicate that the quality of life in all aspects is at a good level. The highest average score is observed in the aspect of overall health quality (M= 4.07, SD = 0.76), followed by environmental quality of life (M= 3.92, SD = 0.46), mental health quality of life (M= 3.88, SD = 0.49), physical health quality of life (M= 3.83, SD = 0.44), and social relationship quality of life (M= 3.81, SD = 0.65). The majority of the sample group is self-reliant and able to assist others (socially integrated), accounting for 81.33%. When analyzing the relationship between quality of life and the ability to perform daily activities among the elderly, it was found that all aspects of quality of life have a low positive correlation. The aspect with the highest correlation is environmental quality of life (r = 0.339), followed by physical health quality of life (r = 0.375), social relationship quality of life (r = 0.275), mental health quality of life (r = 0.258), and overall quality of life (r = 0.251), in respective order.

            Therefore, healthcare professionals should continue to emphasize the importance of self-care in various activities, especially in bladder control, which elderly individuals tend to have the least capability in. This is aimed at reducing dependency in the long term and promoting quality of life.