The survey of the relationship between quality of life of elderly with depression and physical activity in Tabriz, Iran

Background and Aim: Aging as one of the most critical period of life is faced with many physiological changes. A main challenge of this century is a better quality of life. Therefore, determining factors that affect quality of life in elderly people is important. This study designed to determine relationship between depression disorders and physical activity level with quality of life in free-living elderly in Tabriz in 2012. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 184 elderly people (97 male and 87 female) with the age of 60 years and above. All subjects were selected from daily care centers of elderly people in Tabriz. Validated Persian self-reported version of World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL) questionnaire was used to determine the quality of life in free-living elderly. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) questionnaires were used to assess the level of physical activity and depression status, respectively. Correlations of variables were analyzed by multiple logistic regressions.  Results: There was a significant positive correlation between IADL and ADL with quality of life (r=0.426; p<0.001 and r=0.147; p=0.041, respectively). In addition, the correlation between GDS and quality of life variable was significant (r= -0.180, p=0.013). Conclusion: Since physical activity has beneficial effects on quality of life in elderly people, encouraging them to participate in social exercise programs and presenting guidelines to improve other aspects of quality of life are suggested. Key words: Elderly, Quality of Life, Physical Activity, Depression