Quality of Life and Quality of Living Conditions in Rural Areas: Distinctively Perceived and Quantitatively Distinguished

In the last decades, large amount of effort and resources have been spent in projects and programs aiming to develop rural communities. The ultimate goal of such projects is supposed to be the improvement of the Quality of Life (QOL) of these communities. Although improving the Quality of the Living Conditions (QLC) is an acceptable strategy to reach that goal, all too often there is significant confusion between the two concepts. In this paper we argue that QLC and QOL can not be dissociated, but they are distinct. Our hypothesis is that we can make this distinction objectively. For that purpose, we develop an Index of the Quality of Living Conditions (IQLC) and an Index of the Quality of Life (IQOL). Each index is obtained by combining partial indicators of the conditions of several aspects in several dimensions (e.g., social, environmental, and economic). While the assessment of living conditions to obtain the IQLC is done by project staff, the IQOL is based on the manifestation of the farmers about their satisfaction in living those conditions. The IQLC and the IQOL result, then, from different views of the same aspects of life in a given context. Therefore, their objective measurement can be a useful instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of improvements on living conditions proposed by institutions and their professionals to improve the quality of life of rural communities.     

Structural Analyses Of The Quality Of Life Of Children At Risk

Quality of life (QOL) is usually assessed in terms of levels. This paper, in contrast, examines the structure of the quality of life of its subjects: two groups of children at risk, children who were kept at home and those who were removed from home. The social workers who made the decisions were asked to assess the children’s quality of life using Shye’s Systemic Quality of Life Model. The study’s main finding is that the QOL structure of the two groups of children differs both from the theoretical “ideal” (or “healthy” structure) and from each other. The QOL structure of the children who were kept at home was closer to the ideal than that of the children who were removed. The difference from the ideal in both groups is consistent with the fact that both groups of children at risk, whose QOL is compromised by definition. The greater proximity to the “ideal” of the QOL structure of the children who were kept at home suggests that the social workers who made the decisions viewed these children as having a healthier QOL than the children who were removed from home.     

Do We Need to Weight Satisfaction Scores with Importance Ratings in Measuring Quality of Life?

Trauer and Mackinnon (2001; Quality of life research 10, pp. 579–585) recently proposed that weighting satisfaction scores by importance ratings in measuring quality of life is undesirable and unnecessary. However, they didn’t use empirical data to support their claim. In this study, different weighting algorithms developed by Cummins (1997; Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale – Adult: Manual [Deakin, University Australia]), Raphael et al. (1996; Journal of Adolescent Health 19, pp. 366–375), Ferrans and Powers (1985; Advances in Nursing Science 8, pp. 15–24) and Frisch (1992; Comprehensive Casebook of Cognitive Therapy [Plenum Press, New York]) for measuring quality of life (QOL) were applied. Weighted scores computed from these weighting algorithms were compared with unweighted scores in predicting a global life satisfaction measure by correlation and moderated regression analyses. One hundred and thirty undergraduate students at National Taiwan University participated in the study voluntarily. They completed a 15-item questionnaire on quality of campus life developed by the authors. They also completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), a global life satisfaction measure developed by Diener et al. (1985; Journal of Personality Assessment 49, pp. 71–75). The correlation results revealed that the weighted scores computed from different algorithms didn’t have higher correlations to the SWLS than the unweighted scores. The moderated regression results also revealed that item importance did not moderate the relationship between item satisfaction and the overall life satisfaction. All these findings revealed that weighting satisfaction with importance is unnecessary. This paper was a part of the first author’s Master Thesis     

Quality of Life from the Voting Booth: The Effect of Crime Rates and Income on Recent U.S. Presidential Elections

Quality of Life (QOL) is often measured with surveys of citizen’s satisfaction. In contrast, the current research uses already-existing voting data to infer citizens’ perceptions of QOL. Under this model, citizens decide how much their QOL has improved (or declined) since the last election, and then vote to reward (or punish) the incumbent party accordingly. Analysis of the popular vote for the incumbent party then allows inference on how citizens judge their QOL and how they weight the various domains. Previous research has concluded that voters reward an incumbent who improves the economic domain prior to election. I test whether voters also reward declining crime rates, and estimate how citizens weight the relative importance of each in determining QOL. I analyze the vote shares by state from U.S. presidential elections from 1972 to 1996. Results show that changes in crime rates do influence vote share, consistent with the responsibility hypothesis, but to a smaller degree than the economic domain does. The method described provides convergent evidence that citizens weight domains differentially, and can provide the weights for a national QOL index.     

农村大龄未婚男性的生活质量及其影响因素分析——以冀北地区调查为基础

利用2010年冀北C县农村调查数据,借鉴生活质量的概念和研究框架,分析农村大龄未婚男性的生活质量现状及影响因素。研究结果表明,与已婚男性相比,未婚男性的客观生活质量和主观生活质量均明显偏低;居住方式和父母在世情况显著影响他们所获得的生活支持,工作、收入和社会保障显著影响他们的经济满意度;年龄、生理、心理和收入是影响未婚男性生活总体满意度的重要因素。经济满意度和生活总体满意度之间具有显著的正向相关关系,社会交往满意度和生活总体满意度之间的关系不显著。分析农村大龄未婚男性的生活质量有利于把握其生存状态,也有利于理解其对社会公共安全的影响。     

Exploratory Study on Drug Users’ Perspectives on Quality of Life: More than Health-Related Quality of Life?

In drug treatment outcome literature, a focus on objective and socially desirable indicators of change (e.g. no drug use) has predominated, while outcome indicators that are important for drug users themselves (e.g. quality of life, satisfaction with treatment) have largely been neglected. Nonetheless, Quality of Life (QoL) has become an important concept to evaluate effectiveness of treatment in mental health care research and disability studies. Given the almost exclusive focus on Health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in substance abuse research and the neglect of clients’ perspectives in this field, we explore in this study the concept of QoL as perceived by drug users. Focus group discussions (n = 9) were organised in various treatment settings and community services for drug users in the region of Ghent, Belgium to identify important dimensions of QoL and their interpretation by drug users. Data were clustered and analysed based on the theoretical framework of Robert Schalock (Quality of life. Volume 1: Conceptualization and measurement, 1996). The domains ‘personal relationships’, ‘social inclusion’ and ‘self-determination’ were discussed most frequently by the participants. They stressed the importance of a supportive social network in particular. It can be concluded that QoL is not primarily associated by drug users with health and it involves much more than the aspects typically represented in measures of HRQOL.     

Multidimensional Quality of Life: A New Measure of Quality of Life in Adults

This paper presents a new measure for assessing quality of life (QOL) –the Multidimensional Quality of Life (MQOL)– and describes its derivation, characteristics, structure and several applications. Reasons for developing the MQOL include the restricted range of assessed domains and the heavy emphasis on health in many standard assessment tools. The MQOL was derived by meaning probes into QOL in different samples. It is a 60-item self-report tool of high reliability and validity covering various themes and forming, in line with factor and cluster analyses, 17 scales that constitute five factors according to confirmatory factor analysis. It has been applied with thousands of individuals, in English, Hebrew, Russian and Arabic, and is adequate for healthy and physically or mentally sick individuals, under regular or challenging circumstances. Described studies present findings in samples of sick or healthy individuals (e.g., unemployed, members of a collapsing Kibbutz); relations between the MQOL and coping strategies in partners of sick individuals; and interrelations of overall and scale scores in new and old immigrants. Conclusions focus on the structure of the MQOL, the specificity of coping effects, and the stabilizing mechanisms of QOL.     

The Impact of Imports and Exports on a Country’s Quality of Life

This paper is a sequel to Sirgy et al. (Social Ind. Res. 68(3) (2004) 251), “The Impact of Globalization on a Country’s Quality of Life: Toward an Integrated Model” published in Social Indicators Research. That paper conceptualized globalization in terms of the free flow of four major components: (1) goods and services, (2) people, (3) capital, and (4) information. The current paper focuses on the free flow of goods and services, one of the four major components of globalization. Specifically, we (1) articulate the trade globalization construct, (2) show the complex mediating effects between trade globalization and QOL, and (3) describe under what conditions these positive vs. negative QOL effects are likely to occur. We develop a set of theoretical propositions to capture these mediating and moderating effects. Based on the theoretical model, we suggest the following public policy recommendations: (1) Encourage exporting firms not to outsource jobs. (2) Encourage firms to export more products in ways that can enhance their production efficiency. (3) Discourage firms from exporting culturally sensitive (and possibly offensive) products to culturally distant countries. (4) Encourage firms to export more products with potential for technology transfer. (5) Encourage firms in industries with a significant comparative advantage to increase exports. (6) Encourage imports of products that do not compete with high employment domestic industries where workers cannot easily transition to more productive employment. (7) Impose trade barriers as short-term solution to help␣threatened industries while helping those industries retool to become more competitive. (8)␣Assist displaced workers by re-training them to shift to industries with comparative advantage.     

Construct and Criterion Validity of a Norwegian Instrument for Health Related Quality of Life Among Elderly Women Living at Home

Purpose of the study: The aim of the current study is to validate an instrument consisting of five items and first used in the Nord-Trondelag Health Survey (HUNT-5), as a measure of health related quality of life (QOL) in a population of elderly women living at home. Design and methods: A random sample of 307 women aged 75 years and over (mean 80.8 years, response rate 74.5%) and living at home were interviewed using the HUNT-5 instrument, the 20-question version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) and the respondents’ records of their health status and functional ability. Results: No significant relationships were found between age and the sumscores of GHQ-20 and HUNT-5. Factor analysis indicated that HUNT-5 is primarily unidimensional. The Cronbach α for HUNT-5 was 0.79 and that for GHQ-20 was 0.87. The correlation between the HUNT-5 and the GHQ-20 sumscores was 0.75 (p < 0.001). There were significant correlations between some of the health and function items and the two QOL instruments (ranging from 0.14 to 0.68). Implications: This evaluation supports the psychometric validity of HUNT-5 for elderly women living at home. It is important to take into consideration the women’s own experience of their health and functional ability in planning therapy and in obtaining the best possible QOL for them.     

The Institutional vs. the Academic Definition of the Quality of Work Life. What is the Focus of the European Commission?

In recent years, we have seen how the quality of work life has been focused and defined by the European Commission (EC). In our study we compare the EC definition with the academic one and try to see how close they are. We also analyse the possibility of applying the institutional definition to the Spanish case through the development of specific indicators. Our main conclusions are that QWL is increasingly important for policy makers. In addition, it is essential to have objective indicators and to conduct surveys in order to reliably measure QWL.     

Are People Emotionally Predisposed to Experience Lower Quality of Life? The Impact of Negative Affectivity on Quality of Life in Patients Recovering from Cardiac Surgery

Negative affectivity has been defined as a predisposition to experience intense states of negative emotions. As a trait concept it is a dimension that reflects stable and pervasive differences in negative mood and self-concept. There has been systematic evidence linking negative affectivity to anxiety, depression, psychosomatic complaints, pain symptoms, and adherence to life style changes. Several studies have demonstrated a link between negative affectivity and quality of life. However, as the majority of these studies have been cross-sectional, it has been difficult to establish causal relations between quality of life and negative affect. The present study is a longitudinal investigation of negative affectivity and quality of life in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (N = 157). Negative affectivity and quality of life were assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and with the MacNew Quality of Life after Myocardial Infarction Questionnaire (MacNew QLMI) on admission day, one, and six months after the operation. Causal and reciprocal relationships were tested using a cross-lagged designs analysis via structural equation modeling. Results indicated that the causal model represented the best fit to the data. Results of the study are discussed in terms of the clinical importance of identifying patients at risk of experiencing severe restrictions in their quality of life.     

Quality of life

What is sought is a definition of Quality of Life (QOL). Other authors have defined QOL in terms of actual happiness or perceived satisfaction/dissatisfaction. The present paper defines it not as a summation of the individual happiness-states of all members of a society, but as the obtaining of the necessary conditions for happiness throughout a society. These conditions being necessary not sufficient, high QOL is compatible with actual unhappiness. The necessary conditions in question are identified with the availability of means for the satisfaction of human needs rather than human desires, and a Maslowian analysis of the former is proposed in default of ay more satisfactory analysis. The paper concludes with a discussion of how maximizing needsatisfaction (as opposed to want-satisfaction) automatically guarantees fair distribution of needed goods. This ensures that in at least some respects high-QOL societies are societies characterized by justice.     

Health Condition and Quality of Life in Older Adults: Adaptation of Qolie-89

This study aimed at adapting the Questionnaire Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-89 version 1.0: Vickrey et al., 1993), Quality of Life in Epilepsy QoLIE-89 RAND (Santa Monica, CA)] so that it may be used to measure quality of life (QoL) of older adults, healthy or suffering from various chronic illnesses. The participants were 202 older adults recruited from the Pathology Clinic of a general hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, and from Community Centers for Older adults. The mean age was 71 years. Of them, 51 suffered from diabetes, 50 from cardiovascular disease, 52 suffered from arthritis/myoskeletal diseases, and 49 were healthy. The QOLIE-89 inventory comprises 89 items that measure 17 topics. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 3 factors, namely, health (i.e., physical health and functioning), cognition, and social behavior. Cronbach’s α for the various topics in each group of participants ranged from 0.60 to 0.90 with a number of exceptions with very low α. Concurrent validity was tested through correlations with measures of subjective well being, affect, life satisfaction, and adaptation to old age. A series of ANOVAs showed differences between the healthy and the chronic illness groups of participants but no clearcut differences between the three chronic illness groups. Further study on the adaptation of QOLIE-89 is needed so that its potential as a general measure of QoL in older adults is determined.     

Evaluating Item Discrimination Power of WHOQOL-BREF from an Item Response Model Perspectives

Quality of life (QOL) has become an important component of health. By using the methodology of psychometric theory, we examine the item properties of the WHOQOL-BRIEF. Samejima’s graded response model with natural metrics of the logistic response function was fitted. The results showed items with negative natures were less discriminating. Items written in a specific way were more suitable to assess certain subgroups. The national items showed variation in discriminatory power. Questions measuring objective and specific issues performed worse than items assessing general aspects of the QOL.     

Stability and Change of Regional Quality of life in Switzerland, 1978–1996

Data from surveys on local quality of life (QOL) in Switzerland amongthree age cohorts of a combined 87 000 recruits doing their basicmilitary training in 1978, 1987 and 1996 are used in this study in orderto answer the following questions: How stable was the QOLprofile of the whole country since 1978, and how much QOLprofiles changed since then at the four disaggregationlevels of the 26 cantons, 106 regions, 169 urban communities and 91neighborhoods or suburbs of the 7 largest urban agglomerations ofSwitzerland? At the first three disaggregation levels, most of theone-item measures used seem to be rather valid, i.e., they tended infact to generate stable as well as plausible results in unchangingsituations, or to react sensitively to “objectively” changingconditions of life. Where in public discourse QOL attributes arediffuse, i.e. where they are only loosely coupled to acertain village, town, region etc., or where the QOL profiles of smallerterritories are only based on answers of a few respondents, the strongerimpact that unknown measurement errors have under these conditions makesinterpreting the results of some single variables moredifficult. Especially at the level of cantons and regions, however, QOLprofiles defined by spatially well-focused sets of subjectiveindicators are easily interpretable and very stable. Through all threesurveys, they depict and preserve the distinctive characteristics of acanton or region remarkably well. In general, interpreting these surveyresults from the perspective of discursive social psychology proves tobe advantageous.

     

The quality of life in historical perspective France: 1695–1990

Attempts to evalute the quality of life in historical perspective have been hindered by the absence of data on the perceptions that people held about their well-being as well as by the absence of a broad base of social indicators concerning their physical environment. Given these constraints, in this paper we develop a framework for discussing the well-being of the inhabitants of Aix-en-Provence during the past three centuries. We discuss the quality of life implications of the historical changes in life styles as expressed in the socio-economic structure and in family and work arrangements as well as those based on a limited knowledge of their physical environment as measured by the Physical Quality of Life Index.We presented an earlier version of this paper in Bielefeld, Germany at the XIII World Congress of Sociology, July, 1994. Grand Valley State University provided financial support for research and travel. We thank the staffs of the various French archives who helped us locate historical documents. Bernard Bernos of the University of Provence suggested several historical works that provided us with useful insights about the evolution of human well-being in France. Our longtime colleague and mentor, Doh Shin, located references for us when we were far from an American library and contributed extensive intellectual counsel from which we benefitted enormously.     

Quality of Life Predictors and Normative Data

This study identifies predictors and normative data for quality of life (QOL) in a sample of Portuguese adults from general population. A cross-sectional correlational study was undertaken with two hundred and fifty-five (N = 255) individuals from Portuguese general population (mean age 43 years, range 25–84 years; 148 females, 107 males). Participants completed the European Portuguese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life short-form instrument and the European Portuguese version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Demographic information was also collected. Portuguese adults reported their QOL as good. The physical, psychological and environmental domains predicted 44 % of the variance of QOL. The strongest predictor was the physical domain and the weakest was social relationships. Age, educational level, socioeconomic status and emotional status were significantly correlated with QOL and explained 25 % of the variance of QOL. The strongest predictor of QOL was emotional status followed by education and age. QOL was significantly different according to: marital status; living place (mainland or islands); type of cohabitants; occupation; health. The sample of adults from general Portuguese population reported high levels of QOL. The life domain that better explained QOL was the physical domain. Among other variables, emotional status best predicted QOL. Further variables influenced overall QOL. These findings inform our understanding on adults from Portuguese general population QOL and can be helpful for researchers and practitioners using this assessment tool to compare their results with normative data.     

Materialism and Satisfaction with Over-All Quality Of Life and Eight Life Domains

Previous research has shown that materialism relates negatively to satisfaction with many life domains. The present study broadens this body of research by examining the relationship between three dimensions of materialism and eight quality of life (QOL) domains in a large, diverse sample of U.S. respondents. Two hypotheses were tested: First, overall measures of materialism and satisfaction with QOL were thought to be inversely related. Second, the three dimensions of materialism and QOL domains were hypothesized to be negatively correlated. Results show that overall materialism and its happiness dimension were consistently negatively related to all eight measures of QOL. Materialism’s centrality and success dimensions were negatively correlated with seven and six of the eight QOL domains, respectively. Findings are discussed in light of Humanistic and Organismic theories, and other implications are considered.     

Modeling Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy Loss Resulting from Tobacco use in the United States

Purpose  To describe the development of a model for estimating the effects of tobacco use upon Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and to estimate the impact of tobacco use on health outcomes for the United States (US) population using the model. Method  We obtained estimates of tobacco consumption from 6 years of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). In addition, NHIS data were used to impute the Quality of Well-Being (QWB) Scale using a new methodology known as QWBX1. The QWB places health status on a continuum ranging from death (0.0) to full functioning without symptoms (1.0). The method allows the adjustment of life expectancy for reduced quality of life associated with health conditions. NHIS data were matched to the National Death Index for 14,464 deaths occurring by December 31, 1997. The analysis is limited to adults between the ages of 18 and 70 years. Results  Quality of Well-Being scores were broken down by age and for six smoking categories: (1) non-smokers, (2) those who smoke 1–10 cigarettes per day, (3) 11–20 cigarettes per day, (4) 21–30 cigarettes per day, and (5) 31–40 cigarettes per day, and (6) 40 or greater cigarettes per day. There was a systematic relationship between current tobacco use and health-related quality of life at each point along the age spectrum and there was a clear and systematic separation of quality-adjusted life expectancy by number of cigarettes smoked per day. Teenagers who continue to smoke loose 3.5 QALYs between ages 18 and 70 in comparison to non-smokers. A greater portion in the loss in QALE is attributable to quality of life than to shorten life expectancy. Conclusions  The overall goal of Healthy People 2010 is to increase Years of Healthy Life (or QALE) in the United States. Each year, tobacco use results in hundreds of thousands of quality-adjusted life years lost. Combined models of morbidity and mortality incorporating a range of tobacco consumption levels are required to best represent the impact of tobacco use. Supported by a Grant 11RT-0243 from the Californian Tobacco Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP)