Health Education, Health Promotion, Public Policy, and Health Related-Quality of Life of the Elderly

Arita Murwani¹⁾, Santosa²⁾, Eni Lestari³⁾, Endang Sutisna Sulaeman⁴⁾

¹⁾Doctoral Program in Community Empowerment, Universitas Sebelas Maret

²⁾ Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret

³⁾ Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret

⁴⁾ Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret

ABSTRACT

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Quality of life (QOL) as “an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live, and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns”. Quality of life is a global measure, broader than health status, inherently subjective and pertains to all aspects of life important to the person. There is evidence that dissatisfaction with environment, psychological and/or social domains may impact physical health and well-being in individuals. This study aimed to estimate the associations of health education, health promotion, and public policy, with health related-quality of life (HR-QOL) among the elderly.

Subjects and Method: This was a cross sectional study conducted at 25 Puskesmas (Community Health Centers) Yogyakarta. A sample of 200 elderlies were selected for this study. The dependent variable was HR-QOL. The independent variables were health education, health promotion, and public policy. HR-QOL was measured by WHOQOL-BREF World Health Organization Quality Of Life instrument. The other data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple linear regression.

Results: WHOQOL-BREF was higher if the elderly received health education intervention (b= 1.67; p= 0.003), health promotion intervention (b= 0.97; p= 0.023), and favorable public policy existent (b= 1.73; p= 0.047).

Conclusion: Health education, health promotion, and the existence of favorable public policy, improve health-related quality of life of the elderly.

Keywords: health education, health promotion, public policy, health-related quality of life, elderly.

Correspondence: Arita Murwani. Doctoral Program in Community Empowerment, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Jl. Ir. Sutami 36 A, Surakarta, Central Java. Email: nursearita76@gmail.com. Mobile: 08122585734.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/theicph.2018.02.28

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