Health-related quality of life of fracture victims four years after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate health-related quality of life and its relationship with functional status and other related factors in victims with fractures 4 years after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey with a multi-stage random sampling method.

SETTING

Five hospitals from the areas most severely affected by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

SUBJECTS

Victims with fractures aged 14 years and older who were hospitalized in the rehabilitation departments of the 5 identified hospitals during the period 12 May 2008 to 12 May 2009.

METHODS

Information on demographics, such as age, gender, marital status and educational level, functional status, working status, income, and health-related quality of life, were investigated. Manual muscle test, visual analogue scale, Modified Barthel Index and Medical Outcomes Short Form 36 (SF-36) were employed as the main outcome measures.

RESULTS

A total of 243 victims with fractures were interviewed. Thirty-seven percent of the fracture victims had decreased muscle strength, 28.8% had limited range of motion, 51.8% still experienced pain, and 17.7% were dependent to different extents. With the exception of the domains vitality and mental health, the earthquake victims perceived significantly lower health-related quality of life than the local general population. Older age, being female, unmarried, low education, multiple fractures, muscle weakness, pain and being dependent were significant predictors of lower health-related quality of life. Most SF-36 subscales were negatively correlated with age, multiple fractures and pain, but positively correlated with independence in activities of daily living and income.

CONCLUSION

Four years after the major Sichuan earthquake, many victims with fractures still had reduced functional status and experienced pain, and their health-related quality of life was low compared with the general population.