Articles

Quality of Life and Lifestyle Factors among Stroke Survivors and People Living With Osteoarthritis in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

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Background: Quality of life (QoL) and Lifestyle factors (LFs) are key determinants of health. Poor QoL and unhealthy lifestyles are global concerns and have been linked to stroke and osteoarthritis (OA).

Aim of the Study: This study determined and compared QoL between stroke survivors and People living with osteoarthritis (PLWOA), and also established association between selected LFs and QoL of the stroke survivors and PLWOA in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Materials and Methods: The study adopted a comparative cross-sectional design. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 78 stroke survivors and 186 People Living with Osteoarthritis (PLWOA) from the two strata making up Port Harcourt Metropolis – Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (PHALGA) and Obio-Akpor Local Government Area (OBALGA). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Bref (WHOQoL-BREF) Scale was used to measure their current QoL while LFs (Smoking, Alcohol consumption, Physical activity, and Balanced Diet) were selected in line with WHO STEPS instrument for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) from June 2019 to January, 2000. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 24. Chi-square test statistic was used to compare the proportion of stroke survivors with very poor, poor and good QoL and that of PLWOA. Chi-square test of independence was used to determine association between LFs and QoL of the two groups, and where appropriate Fisher’s exact test. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Results revealed that the proportion of stroke survivors with very poor, poor and good QoL was 18 (23.16%), 53 (67.9%), and 7 (9.0%) compared to 16 (8.6%), 53 (67.9%), and 7 (9.0%) respectively of those of PLWOA. The difference observed between these proportions was statistically significant (Chi-square = 67.097, p-value <0.0001). For association between LFs and QoL, Smoking (Chi-square = 40.678, Fisher’s p-values <0.0001, <0.0001), Alcohol consumption (Chi-square = 26.541, Fisher’s p-values <0.0001, <0.0001), Physical activity (Chi-square = 13.679, Fisher’s p-values 0.001, 0.022), Balanced diet (Chi-square = 39.691, Fisher’s p-values < 0.0001, 0.002) were all associated for stroke survivors and PLWOA respectively.

Conclusion: Majority of stroke survivors and PLWOA had poor QoL. Association exists between LFs and QoL of stroke survivors and PLWOA in the study. There is need for government to collaborate and set up specialized healthcare facilities for stroke survivors and PLWOA in our communities.