Evaluation of Quality of Life of the Elderly Population Covered by Healthcare Centers of Marivan and the Influencing Demographic and Background Factors in 2010

which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. World Health Organization reported there are more than 600 million elderly individuals in the world (1); a figure which will double by 2025 and will reach 2 billion people by 2050 (2,3).The immense changes in cultural, socioeconomic and demographic aspects of Iranian society during the last few decades have given rise to an increase in the elderly population (2). A review on the age structure of Iranian population during the last half century reveals the increase in number and percentage of elderly individuals (2): the elderly population of Iran has almost doubled from 3.9% in 1956 to 7.3% (5121043 individuals) in 2006 (2). The rapid, unprecedented growth of elderly population in developing countries, which are still in fight with poverty and contagious diseases, is posing an obstacle for development, thus necessitating urgent measures and approaches for remedy (3). In many of these countries, poverty, deficits in social security programs, continuous urbanization and ever-growing recruitment of women as workforce all compromise the traditional forms of caring for the elderly people (3). It is said that an aging population is the consequence of development; however, if we are unprepared for this phenomenon in a developed world, it will lead to many complications (3-5).Therefore, the international community is paying greater attention to encountering the adverse outcomes of this phenomenon through adoption of appropriate policies in order to enhance the physical, mental and social status of the elderly population i.e. improve their quality of life (QOL) (5-7). This study evaluated QOL of the elderly population covered by healthcare centers in Marivan, Iran. The study population consisted of all the elderly covered by 5 healthcare centers and 2 healthcare bases in Marivan, summing up to 2,433 individuals. A total of 400 these elderly were studied. A simple stratified random sampling proportional to the size of healthcare centers was performed. Data were collected using a standardized QOL questionnaire (Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) – Iranian Version) (8) and questions on demographic and background factors which were completed through face-to-face interviews. The SF-36 questionnaire has been translated and used in over 50 countries all over the world including Iran. The questionnaire consists of two major scales: the physical component and the mental component. The SF-36 also consisting 8 subscales (domains): physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social …