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Mortality in nursing home residents without cognitive impairment and its relation to self-reported health-related quality of life, sociodemographic factors, illness variables and cancer diagnosis: a 5-year follow-up study

Quality of Life Research volume 22, pages 317–325 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

It is generally known that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) predicts cause-specific mortality. Few studies have explored whether generic self-reported HRQOL, sociodemographic factors and illness variables are independently associated with mortality among cognitively intact nursing home (NH) residents with and without cancer. We hypothesized that sociodemographic factors and illness variables would be associated with mortality and that HRQOL, measured using the SF-36 Health Survey, would predict mortality among NH residents with and without cancer.

Methods

We followed a cohort of 227 cognitively intact (Clinical Dementia Rating scale score ≤0.5) older residents (60 with cancer and 167 without) from 30 NH from 2004–2005 to 2010. We collected data by face-to-face interview. We obtained sociodemographic variables and medical diagnoses from the records.

Results

Survival did not differ between residents with and without cancer (P = 0.31). Twenty percent of the residents with cancer and 13% without cancer were still alive. After adjustment for sociodemographic and illness variables, increasing age (P < 0.001), higher education (P = 0.009), comorbidity (P = 0.04) and the subdimension physical functioning (P = 0.009) predicted mortality. Bodily pain was only marginally associated with mortality (P = 0.08).

Conclusions

Independent of cancer, HRQOL and comorbidity predicted mortality among NH residents without cognitive impairment.

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Fig. 1

Abbreviations

HRQOL:

Health-related quality of life

NH:

Nursing home

CDR:

Clinical Dementia Rating

FCI:

Functional Comorbidity Index

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Acknowledgments

The Norwegian Cancer Society funded this study.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Faculty for Health and Social Science, Bergen University College, Haugeveien 28, 5005, Bergen, Norway

    Jorunn Drageset

  2. Centre for Clinical Research, Western Norway Health Region Authority, Bergen, Norway

    Geir Egil Eide

  3. Research Group for Lifestyle Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Geir Egil Eide

  4. Kavli Research Centre for Ageing and Dementia, Haraldsplass Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    Anette Hylen Ranhoff

  5. Institute for Internal Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Anette Hylen Ranhoff

Authors
  1. Jorunn Drageset
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  2. Geir Egil Eide
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  3. Anette Hylen Ranhoff
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Correspondence to Jorunn Drageset.

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Drageset, J., Eide, G.E. & Ranhoff, A.H. Mortality in nursing home residents without cognitive impairment and its relation to self-reported health-related quality of life, sociodemographic factors, illness variables and cancer diagnosis: a 5-year follow-up study. Qual Life Res 22, 317–325 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0143-5

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Keywords

  • Elderly
  • Cancer
  • Mortality
  • Nursing homes