Qualidade de vida de idosos residentes em municípios das macrorregiões de saúde da Paraíba

Abstract

Human aging is a physiological, dynamic, progressive and irreversible process that occurs naturally in the body and brings with it a set of biological, psychological and social changes, which cause demands and challenges for the public health system, as well as for the elderly and their families. The possibility of living longer has raised concerns about assessing the quality of additional years in aging. There are several processes involved in the condition of life and health of populations and this diversity comes mainly from the space in which individuals are inserted. Therefore, the present study is justified by the need to investigate and understand the quality of life (QoL) of elderly people in cities located in different macro-regions of health in the state of Paraíba. Given the above, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of elderly residents in cities located in different health macro-regions of Paraíba. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study, with quantitative and qualitative approaches and with primary data collection carried out from November 2021 to April 2022, with elderly people registered in the Basic Health Units (UBS) of the Paraíba’s cities: João Pessoa, Campina Grande and Patos. The following variables were evaluated: quality of life and; socioeconomic-demographic aspects. Quantitative data of QoL were obtained using the WHOQOL-BREF instrument and qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Bardin's Content Analysis. The quantitative database was created using LibreOffice version 7.1.2. The qualitative database was created using the LibreOffice software for textual transcription of the answers obtained in the semi-structured interview, which were treated to constitute the text corpus. The software used for quantitative data analysis was R, version 4.0.4. After the separate analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data on quality of life, the information was confronted using the triangulation strategy, in order to understand more broadly the studied phenomenon. The results showed the participation of 34 elderly people in the study, with greater participation of elderly women (82.35%) and mean age of 65.94 years (± 4.98). The QoL was assessed as positive by the WHOQOL-BREF, indicating an average score of 66.40 points. Among the cities, Campina Grande was the only one that presented a negative average score for QoL (58.8 points) and the best average score was found in the city of Patos (69.8 points). Regarding qualitative data, most elderly people (70.58%) reported positive quality of life. The main core meanings for the conceptualization of QoL attributed by the elderly were: “financial issues”, “family relationships”, “health” and “interpersonal relationships”. Positive QoL was associated with good financial condition, good relationship with family and friends, healthy habits for maintaining health (food and physical activity), spirituality, leisure, presence of positive feelings and autonomy. Negative QoL was related to financial instability, the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation, presence of negative feelings, illness condition and accumulation of responsibilities. According to the results obtained in this study, it is concluded that the QoL of elderly people living in cities in different health macro-regions of Paraíba is positive both in the quantitative assessment and in the qualitative self-assessment, making it possible to perceive the multidimensionality of the QoL represented in the physical, psychological, social relations and environment domains. This study provided an expansion of the findings about the QoL of the elderly in the State of Paraíba, proposing the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches for an expanded understanding of the QoL.