Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To assess the quality of life of working and non-working elderly people.
METHOD
Descriptive study with cross-sectional cohort and quantitative approach, with 113 elderly subjects, conducted from June to September 2014, in a peer group in the city of Cajazeiras-PB, using the WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD sociodemographic questionnaires. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney and Student’s t-tests.
RESULTS
The working elderly people had higher mean scores in most WHOQOL-BREF domains and WHOQOL-OLD facets, with emphasis to the Psychological domain (70.0) and the Sensory abilities facet (72.5). A statistically significant difference (p=0.046) was found between the two groups in the physical domain.
CONCLUSION
The study demonstrated that work is an important factor for the quality of life of elderly individuals.
Keywords:
Aged; Aging; Work; Quality of life