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Defining quality of life for Chinese elderly stroke survivors
journal contribution
posted on 2003-01-01, 00:00 authored by Anna LauAnna Lau, K McKenna, C Chan, Robert CumminsRobert CumminsPurpose: This study aimed to identify the constituents and conceptual characteristics of the quality of life (QOL) of Chinese elderly stroke survivors, living in the community in Hong Kong.
Method: A triangulated approach was used to identify the QOL components for this population. This process involved a comparison of QOL components gathered from three different methods, namely, focus group interviews, review of the literature and the contents of the generic Hong Kong Chinese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (CWHOQOL-HK). Five health professionals were involved in the comparison process. A percentage of inter-judge agreement was used to determine the reliability of the comparisons made between the judges.
Results: This study identified 36 components considered to contribute to the QOL of Chinese elderly stroke survivors in Hong Kong. The conceptual characteristics of their QOL generally concurred with those identified in the literature.
Conclusion: Both similarities and differences were found in the QOL components identified in this study when compared to those identified in studies of Western populations who are elderly and had a stroke. The contents of the CWHOQOL-HK scale were found to lack adequacy in representing the QOL of Chinese elderly stroke survivors in Hong Kong. Recommendations are given, based on the findings of this study, to overcome this limitation for its application as a QOL measure for this population.
Method: A triangulated approach was used to identify the QOL components for this population. This process involved a comparison of QOL components gathered from three different methods, namely, focus group interviews, review of the literature and the contents of the generic Hong Kong Chinese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (CWHOQOL-HK). Five health professionals were involved in the comparison process. A percentage of inter-judge agreement was used to determine the reliability of the comparisons made between the judges.
Results: This study identified 36 components considered to contribute to the QOL of Chinese elderly stroke survivors in Hong Kong. The conceptual characteristics of their QOL generally concurred with those identified in the literature.
Conclusion: Both similarities and differences were found in the QOL components identified in this study when compared to those identified in studies of Western populations who are elderly and had a stroke. The contents of the CWHOQOL-HK scale were found to lack adequacy in representing the QOL of Chinese elderly stroke survivors in Hong Kong. Recommendations are given, based on the findings of this study, to overcome this limitation for its application as a QOL measure for this population.
History
Journal
Disability and rehabilitationVolume
25Issue
13Pagination
699 - 711Publisher
Informa HealthcareLocation
London, EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
0963-8288eISSN
1464-5165Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2003, Taylor & Francis LtdUsage metrics
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