Background:

Older people’s perceived quality of life (QoL) is based on several factors and can be assessed through generic and/or specific scales.

Objectives:

To assess the QoL of a sample of non-institutionalized older people and analyze its association with sociodemographic and clinical variables.

Methodology:

A descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted with a sample of 250 older people. Data were collected using two scales for assessing QoL: one generic (EUROHIS-QOL-8) and another specific for older people (WHOQOL-OLD).

Results:

On a scale from 0 to 100, a mean QoL index above the midpoint was found for the total scales (67.19 +/- 17.95 in EUROHIS-QOL-8 and 67.49+/- 15.46 in WHOQOL-OLD). Statistically significant differences were found between perceived QoL and gender, education level, and marital status. Unlike the EUROHIS-QOL-8, no statistically significant differences were found in the WHOQOL-OLD for the variable “presence of a disease”.

Conclusion:

Older people’s perceived QoL was associated with the variables of gender, education level, and marital status.

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