Abstract
Celebrating the United Nations’ International Year of Older Persons, in September 1999 a survey research project was undertaken throughout the Northern Interior Health Region (NIHR) of British Columbia. A total of 875 people completed 23-page questionnaires, the average age of the respondents was 69 and the range ran from 55 to 95 years. Responses to the SF-36 questionnaire indicated that for male respondents aged 55–64, the mean score for the 8 dimensions was 74.4. This mean was practically identical to that of the United States norm for such people (74.5) and lower than that for the United Kingdom (77.4). For male respondents aged 65 and older, the mean was 68.3. This was numerically higher but again practically the same as that of the norm for the United States (68.1). For females aged 55–64, the mean score for 8 dimensions was 73. This was superior to that of the United States norm of (70.6) for such people and lower than that for the United Kingdom (74.6). For female respondents aged 65 and older, the mean score was 65.4. This was practically identical to that of the United States (65.5). Comparing 18 average figures for our respondents on satisfaction with specific domains of life (e.g., financial security, health, friendships) and life as a whole with those of average adults in Prince George in November 1999, we found that in all but two cases the older people’s scores were higher. Only in the cases of satisfaction with health and overall happiness were older people’s scores lower, and the differences were not statistically significant. Eleven percent of our respondents reported that they had been a victim of a crime in the last year, compared to 38% in our 1997 adult victimization survey. Older people had a more benign view than ordinary adults of the growth of crime in their neighbourhood and city, although exactly 64% of both groups thought that crime had increased in Canada. Although older people had a more optimistic view than other adults of the increase in crime in their neighbourhoods, fewer of the former than the latter felt safe out at night. Nevertheless, compared to adults surveyed in 1997, the behaviour of respondents in our survey of older people was not as constrained by concerns of criminal victimization. Two or three of the 8 SF-36 health dimensions explained 37% of the variation in life satisfaction scores, 34% of variation in happiness scores, 34% in satisfaction with the overall quality of life scores and 22% in satisfaction with one’s overall standard of living. In every case, Mental Health was the dimension that had the greatest impact on our four dependent variables. When all of our potential predictors were entered into a regression equation simultaneously, we found that they could explain 60% of the variance in life satisfaction scores, 44% in happiness scores, 58% in satisfaction with the overall quality of life scores and 59% in satisfaction with one’s overall standard of living scores.
We would like to thank the following people for their help in the design and administration of this project: Henk Bekkering, Bev Christiansen, David Coflin, Irene Huse and Bill Kennedy. Funding for the project was provided by the City of Prince George, the Northern Interior Health Board and Human Resources Development Canada.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Braungart, M., R. Braungart and W. Hoyt: 1980, “Age, sex and social factors in fear of crime”, Sociological Focus, 13(1): 55–66.
Cook, F.L., W. Skogan, T. Cook and G. Antunes: 1980, “Criminal victimization of the elderly: the physical and economic consequences”, The Gerontologist, 18(4): 338–349.
Kennedy, L.W. and R.A. Silverman: 1984–85, “Significant others and fear of crime among the elderly”, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 20(4): 241–256.
McHorney, C.A., J.E. Ware and A.E. Raczek: 1993, “The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): II. Psychometric and Clinical Tests of Validity in Measuring Physical and Mental Health Constructs”, Medical Care, 31(3): 247–263.
McHorney, C.A., J.E. Ware, J.F.R. Lu and C. Donald Sherbourne: 1994, “The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): III Tests of Data Quality, Scaling Assumptions, and Reliability Across Diverse Patient Groups”, Medical Care, 32(1): 40–66.
Michalos, A.C. and B.D. Zumbo: 2000, “Criminal victimization and the quality of life”, Social Indicators Research, 50(3): 245–295.
Michalos, A.C. and B.D. Zumbo: tbp, “British Columbians’ expectations and attitudes going into the third millennium”.
Michalos, A.C. and B.D. Zumbo: 2001, “Ethnicity, modern prejudice and the quality of life”, Social Indicators Research, 53: 189–222.
Michalos, A.C. and B.D. Zumbo: tbp(a), “Leisure activities, health and the quality of life”.
Michalos, A.C., B.D. Zumbo and A. Hubley: 2000a, “Health and the quality of life”, Social Indicators Research, 51: 245–286.
Murray, M., S. Lefort, and V. Ribeiro: 1998, “The SF-36: reliable and valid for the institutionalized elderly?”, Aging & Mental Health, 2(1): 24–27.
Ware, J.E., M. Kosinsky and S.D. Keller: 1994, SF-36 Physical and Mental Health Summary Scales: A User’s Manual. Boston, MA: The Health Institute, New England Medical Center.
Ware, J.E. and C. Donald Sherbourne: 1992, “The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual Framework and Item Selection”, Medical Care, 30(6): 473–483.
Ware, J.E., K.K. Snow, M. Kosinski and B. Gandek: 1993, SF-36 Health Survey: Manual and Interpretation Guide. Boston, MA: The Health Institute, New England Medical Center.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hubley, A.M., Zumbo, B.D., Hemingway, D. (2003). Health and other Aspects of the Quality of Life of Older People. In: Essays on the Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 19. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0389-5_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0389-5_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6304-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-0389-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive