Factor structure of satisfaction in daily life of elderly residents in Kitakyushu

The purpose of this study was to investigate what items elderly persons living at home consider important for satisfaction in daily life and what factor structure is obtained by a principal components analysis. Two percent of the residents 60 years old or over of Yahatanishi Ward, Kitakyushu, were randomly sampled as subjects. A questionnaire asking residents to select items considered important in daily life was sent by mail, and 722 responses (72.5%) were eligible for analysis. "Health", "social security and pension" and "self-care" were considered important in daily life with the highest selection rates. A five-factor solution for 25 items with a selection rate greater than 4.5% was obtained by an oblique rotated principal components analysis: "health and disability", "social environment and activity", "socio-economic condition", "emotional stability in marital and family life" and "social intercourse and companionship". These factors appeared to be the fundamental framework of the subjective domain of health-related quality of life of elderly persons living at home.