Factors Related to Quality of Life among Older Adults who Had Arthritis: Limited Daily Activities and Physical Activity

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify determinants for the quality of life in older adults with arthritis by limitation on dailyactivities. The quality of life in some arthritic older adults is lower than in their arthritic counterparts, and limitation of activities is a fundamental factor for decreasing their quality of life. Methods: This study used a data of older adults with arthritis in the Korea National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES VIII Year 1, 2019). The sample size is 502, and data includes general characteristics, health habits, and quality of life,etc. The analysis was based on the complex sample design, and conducted by a t-test, chi-square test and a general linearregression. Results: The quality of life is higher in some older adults with arthritis who have not limited daily activities. Their quality of life isrelated to age (p=.003) and walking (p=.003) in the participants with no limited daily activities. In their counterparts with limiteddaily activities, the quality of life is related to living with family (p=.011), aerobic physical activity (p=.048), and strengthtraining (p=.001). Conclusion: Limited daily activities are important in accounting for quality of life in older adults with arthritis. The differentrelated factors on the quality of life by limitation on daily activities provide implications for developing strategies for their qualityof life depending on the type of activities and the living context of the individuals.