Quality of life patterns and survival among older people

As the numbers and proportions of elderly people in the global population increase, quality of life (QOL) within this group becomes an important research issue. Undertaking cross-national comparisons of elderly people can provide a better understanding of QOL patterns.

This study examines QOL patterns using a harmonization data set from two longitudinal studies of the older people in the United Kingdom (UK) and Taiwan and explores the relationship between clusters of older people and mortality hazards in these countries.

Data were derived from the 1989 wave of the Nottingham Longitudinal Study of Activity and Ageing and the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. Cluster analysis was used to observe QOL patterns in the older people and their profiles. Cox regression analysis was used to test for the presence of clusters associated with mortality hazards.

Fifteen subgroups were extracted from cluster analysis of the Nottingham Longitudinal Study of Activity and Ageing sample (n = 690), and 20 groups were generated from cluster analysis of the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan data set (n = 1,438). Cox regression analyses revealed a relationship between mortality risk and certain clusters over a 14-year period in the U.K. and Taiwan.

Using cluster analyses to group the older people according to shared characteristics identified different QOL levels across these profiles both in the UK and Taiwan. The author also identified differences in the same profile levels between the two countries. It is important to explore the relationship between clusters and mortality hazards because clusters reflect important QOL factors affecting mortality risk.