Health-Related Quality Of Life Research

Health-Related Quality of Life Most middle-aged Americans and people in other industrialized countries are considered to be quite healthy. Overall health of an individual is determined by their physical and mental state of well being. Although most middle aged people seem to be healthy, in the past 10 years research has shown increases in the use of medical services. The percentage of medical appointments in which five or more drugs were prescribed has nearly doubled in 10 years. This raises the question provided by the Human Development textbook in Chapter fifteen, Guidepost three, what factors are contributing to the physical and mental health at midlife. The answer lies within a Journal of Clinical Nursing article Quality of Life. It supports

Hypertension (chronically high blood pressure) is also very common, and can create concern for midlife adults causing risk factors for cardiovascular and kidney disease. Of all the physical factors that can negatively influence physical health, obesity is most common and prevalent to midlife adults. Obesity is a condition of being grossly fat or overweight, and is the number one eating disorder in America. The World Health Organization projects that by 2015, the number of overweight adults will reach 2.3 billion and the number of obese individuals will reach 700 million. In the United States a most recent report shows that two-thirds of U.S. adults are either obese or overweight. Obesity is a major risk factor for mature-onset diabetes or type-2 diabetes. People with mature-onset diabetes often do not realize they have the disease until they develop serious complications. The complications consist of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, or loss of

Stress is a physical or emotional element that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation. In the article, researchers noted significant relationships between psychological distress and both physical and mental component of health related quality of life. Stress is the number two factor associated with physical and mental health in midlife adults. Middle aged adults are more likely to suffer from serious psychological distress: extreme sadness, nervousness, restlessness, hopelessness, and feelings of worthlessness much of the time. Women tend to report more extreme stress than men and tend to be more concerned about stressful situations. In these stressful situations there are two classic stress responses that can take place. The first is primary masculine triggered by testosterone, and more commonly associated with men called the “fight or flight” mechanism. The second stress response is mainly adopted by women called, “tend and befriend”. This mechanism promotes safety, and the reliance on social networks to exchange resources and