Journal of

Background and Aim: Increase in life expectancy is associated with non-communicable diseases. This study is aimed to survey the effect of chronic diseases on the quality of life among the elderly people in elderly care centers in the East of Tehran in 2011.

Materials and Methods: This is an analytical study in which 424 people were randomly selected. They were members of elderly care centers and were 60 years of age or higher. The data collection instruments were a standard quality-of-life questionnaire(SF36) and a chronic diseases record checklist. The data were collected in an interview. For data analysis purposes, Independent T-Test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used.

Results: The mean age of participants was 67.34±7.16. Some 92.2% of patients were suffering from at least one chronic disease, and there was a significant statistical difference between the mean points of all aspects of quality of life of those suffering from chronic diseases and those without a history of chronic diseases(P<0.001). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the quality of life on the one hand and gender, marital status, economic status, and education on the other(P<0.05).

Conclusion: The findings show that an increase in the number of chronic diseases leads to a decrease in the quality of life, and that the application of appropriate educational and interventional approaches can help take effective steps to enhance the old people's health.

Background and Aim: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death and disabilities in the world. The purpose of the present study is to determine the perceived barriers and benefits of adopting health-promoting behaviors among individuals at risk of cardiovascular diseases referring to TUMS Teaching Hospitals in 2011.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 325 patients at risk of cardiovascular diseases were randomly selected. The data were collected using a self-made questionnaire having three parts: 14 items for demographic and health-related variables, 12 items for perceived barriers, and another 12 items for benefits. For data analysis, SPSS 18 was used.

Results: The mean age of patients was 53.56±11.27 about 47.7% of patients(n=155) were female and 52.3% (n=170) were male. There was a meaningful relationship between the mean of perceived benefits on the one hand and occupation, physical activity, type and frequency of physical activity, smoking and awareness of cardiovascular diseases on the other(p0.001). Moreover, the mean of perceived barriers showed a meaningful relationship with occupation, smoking and awareness of cardiovascular diseases(p0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed that demographic and health-related variables could affect the perception of barriers and benefits of adopting certain behaviors for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, using interventional and educational approaches appropriate for target group features can help us take effective steps towards health promotion.