Factors associated with the quality of life of elderly people in rural areas

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the factors associated with the quality of life of elderly people living in a rural area. Method: This cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted using a questionnaire that analyzed sociodemographic aspects, living conditions, and health, in addition to the instrument...WHOQOL-OLD, used to assess quality of life of elderly people Data collection took place in Basic Health Units from the rural area of ​​the municipality of Guanambi, Bahia, Brazil, between March and September 2025. ALow quality of life was defined as the dependent variable (reference category). For the multiple analysis, Poisson regression with robust variance was used. Results: The study included 111 participants. Of these, 47.7% have low quality of life. In the final model, those categorized as users of public services (PR=0.46) and internet services (PR=0.52), with their own transportation to the Basic Health Unit (PR=0.67), who had some type of religion (PR=0.38), and the youngest (RP=0.96) were less likely to exhibit aPerception of low quality of life. However, participants who had depressive symptoms (PR=2.19) and lived in housing not built in blocks (PR=1.46) were more likely to have a low quality of life. Conclusion: There is a higher prevalence of low quality of life among older adults who were older, had depressive symptoms, did not use the internet, did not frequent public health services, did not have their own transportation or religion, and lived in housing not built in blocks. Therefore, it is necessary to promote actions aimed at improving mental health, expanding the availability of care in health units, and improving social conditions, considering the age-specific characteristics of this population residing in rural areas.