Gail Low, University of Victoria

Examining the role of gender in Health-related Quality of Life: Perceptions of older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Every year, at least 300,000 older Canadians are affected by chronic lung disease and its unpredictable symptoms. Learning more about how seniors with lung disease view their quality of life can lead practitioners to a better understanding of how to help their patients best manage their condition.

In order to learn more on how seniors with lung disease perceive their quality of life, Dr. Low and her colleagues placed advertisements in local newspapers, seniors' centers and health bulletins. Physicians, therapists, and nurse clinicians were also recruited to tell their patients about the study. Study participants were asked to complete questionnaires about their health, quality of life, and significant others. All participants received a summary of the study through the local lung health center.

Results of the study indicated that women with early-stage lung disease rated their quality of life far lower than men in the early stages of the disease. For men, lower quality of life ratings were not reported until they were in the later stages of the disease. In addition, women were more affected psychologically, especially if they had other health problems, and men were more bothered by the physical symptoms of the disease. Therefore, quality of life in seniors with lung disease may be improved if practitioners focus on educating their patients about symptoms, and provide support for those in the late-stages of the disease.

As a researcher and educator, this study stimulated Dr. Low's interest in learning more about older people who have lung disease. It has served as a source for a series of studies on how older people with lung conditions feel about growing older and how they manage their lung conditions.

Dr. Low is an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Her ongoing research focuses on the beliefs of seniors in general on what growing older is like, how seniors from different cultures rate their quality of life, and activity patterns among older Canadians.