"Impact of health promotion practices on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among geriatric population in Karachi, Pakistan".

BACKGROUND

Demographic transition has resulted in increased life expectancy among older adults that will lead to the emergence of new illnesses, long-term impairments, and alterations in social attitudes. The need to prioritize actions for this population, with a focus on enhancing the quality of life, fostering autonomy and independence, and promoting active and healthy aging, has made health education for the elderly a topic of global interest due to current demographic and epidemiological changes. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of health promotion on enhancing health-related quality of life among elderly people in Karachi, Pakistan.

STUDY SETTING AND DESIGN

Data was collected at a Senior Citizen & Recreation center, located near the participants' residence in Karachi, Pakistan. A well-structured generic HRQoL instrument (SF-36) short form was used because it has demonstrated strong reliability and validity among the elderly population, making it a suitable tool for assessing quality of life outcomes.

METHODS

One-group pre-test and post-test interventional (Quasi-experimental) research design using a mixed method approach (Qualitative and Quantitative). Inferential statistics are drawn through paired sample t-test to compare the mean of pre-test HRQoL scores with post-test HRQoL scores. The qualitative analysis was made through a thematic categorical method.

RESULTS

Revealed significant impact of health-promoting activities on 3 sub-scales of HRQoL. However, on other subscales of HRQoL, health-promoting interventions produced little impact.

CONCLUSION

Health promotion can play a significant role in improving health-related quality of life.