Being elderly and living with leprosy: an analysis of the quality of life
International Journal of Development Research
Being elderly and living with leprosy: an analysis of the quality of life
Received 22nd December, 2017; Received in revised form 19th January, 2018; Accepted 02nd February, 2018; Published online 30th March, 2018
Copyright © 2018, Lucian da Silva Viana et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Introduction: When the individual, in addition to the elderly condition, is affected by a stigmatizing disease like leprosy, he can suffer significant interference in his aging process, which reflects on their quality of life. Methods: Descriptive study, using a form of identification and the following instruments: WHOQOL – bref and WHOQOL – OLD. Participants in the study were elderly, affected by leprosy, in outpatient treatment. Data analysis was carried out through the EpiInfo 7 program and Microsoft Excel software. Results: Among the participants of the research (n = 60), most of them have between 60 to 69 years (53.3%) of age, are male (58.3%), with brown skin color (66.6%) and married (45%). The analysis of the General Quality of Life Index (GQLI) of WHOQOL - bref obtained an average score of 60.42%, representing "Satisfaction" with the general quality of life. The domains of this instrument achieved an average score of 58.40%, approximate number to the average reached by facets of WHOQOL - OLD (58.28%). Conclusion: The reformulation of public policies is indispensable to promote health and preventive and therapeutic actions targeted to a better quality of life for this population.
