Educational level, socio-economic status and relationship with quality of life in elderly residents of the city of Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to verify the index of quality of life of elderly individuals belonging to groups, from different socioeconomic strata in the city of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State. The research adopted a transversal model, used to collect data from the SF-36 questionnaire. The sampling is the intentional type and comprised: 61 elderly people in Class A, 80 in Class C, and 84 in Class E. The research was approved by the Committee of Ethics in Research/UFRGS. In relation to the quality of life, Class A presented higher scores than did Classes C and E on the pain, vitality, social aspect and mental health areas. The results also showed a significant difference in quality of life among university educated individuals versus the other schooling groups, on the pain, vitality, mental health and social aspect fields. Quality of life is a complex concept to study, but essential to improve the perception of health and welfare by the elderly.