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Quality of life of older people in China: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2012

Yu Chen
Affiliation:
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK School of Nursing, Fudan University, China
Allan Hicks
Affiliation:
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK
Alison E While*
Affiliation:
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Alison While, 57 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8WA, UK. Email: alison.while@kcl.ac.uk

Summary

The quality of life (QoL) of older people is of increasing interest in China, due to its ageing population. A systematic review of published QoL studies was undertaken to examine different measurements and related factors of QoL of older people in China. Papers were identified by searching the following electronic databases: Web of Science, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, China Academic Journal and VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals. Fifteen studies were included in the review, using eight different QoL measurement tools. Health status, psychological well-being, social well-being, housing and socio-demographic factors were identified as important related factors of QoL. Further studies are needed using valid measurement tools to explore more factors, especially culturally specific contributors, to the QoL of older people.

Type
International research and practice
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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