Activities of Daily Living and Quality of Life among Older Adults in Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to investigate activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL) of older adults (aged 60 years or more) and explore relationships between the two variables and personal background. The participants consisted of 400 older adults and selected by using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected using 1) a demographic form, 2) the Thai version of ADL and, 3) WHOQOL-BREF-THAI. The content va;idity of the demographic form gave indexes of item-objective congruences of between .67 and 1. ADL and WHOQOL-BREF-THAI were tested for their reliabilities and found Cronbach’s alpha coefficient gave values of .932 and .955, respectively. Descriptive and correlational statistics, including Pearson’s correlation coefficient, point-biserial correlation coefficient, and Chi-squared test, were used to analyze data. The results showed that most of the participants were socially bound with good QOL. Their ADL was negatively related to age (r=-.260, p<.05) and responsibility to look after children or grandchildren (rpb =-.124, p<.05). Their QOL was negatively associated with age (r =-.123, p<.05), having care givers (rpb=-.110, p<.05), and having chronic illness (rpb=-.246, p<.05). In addition, it was statistically significant (p<.05) in relation to marital status (χ2=8.145), educational level (χ2=26209), sufficient income (χ2 (2, N=400) = 41.286), occupation (χ2 (5, N=400) =26.463), and health insurance (χ2=17.956). The results suggest that ADL and QOL of older adults should be promoted by reducing their responsibility for looking after younger family members, treating sickness, and encouraging them to look for extra jobs to increase their income. Future research should be focused on developing programs of physical activities to promote ADL of older adults in communities.