Abstract

CASTILLO GUZMAN, Antonio et al. Quality of life related to health in persons with chronic degenerative diseases. Rev Cubana Invest Bioméd [online]. 2008, vol.27, n.3-4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3011.

INTRODUCTION: The quality of life related to health is an indicator that incorporates the individual's appreciation of his illness. In the bibliographical review it was found that in Cuba there is no experience in the use of the WHOQOL_BREF as an instrument to measure it. That's why, it is intended to describe it in persons with chronic degenerative illness to determine if it can be applied to the Cuban context. METHODS: A descriptive study of the quality of life connected with health was conducted in 300 individuals with chronic degenerative diseases that are among the first three causes of death in the country. Surveys were done with the WHOQOL_BREF instrument. RESULTS: 100% of the surveys were answered. 51.3% of the sick persons considered its quality of life in relation to health neither poor nor good and 33.3% considered it good. 48.6 % evaluated themselves as neither satisfied nor unsatisfied and 33.3 % as satisfied. The psychological health was rated as "high" in the three types of diseases, whereas the domain exploring environment was estimated as fair. Females, in both groups of ages, considered it "acceptable." According to the type of disease, those aged 45 and over suffering from a tumor had a high quality of life related to health. CONCLUSIONS: The WHOQOL_BREF allowed to measure correctly the quality of life related to health in people with chronic degenerative diseases, which makes us suppose that it is applicable to the Cuban context. The psychological health was the best assessed in any of the studied diseases

Keywords : Quality of life; degenerative illness.