Author(s)

Shuichi Hara¹, Hiroko Miura², Kiyoko Yamasaki³, Naoko Morisaki⁴, Ken Osaka⁵

¹School of Health Science, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Nobeoka, Japan.
²Department of International Health and Collaboration, National Institute of Public Health, Wako, Japan.
³School of Social Welfare, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Nobeoka, Japan.
⁴School of Nursing, University of Kindai Himeji, Himeji, Japan.
⁵Graduate School of Dentistry, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

Aim: We aimed to explore factors related to improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Japanese community-residing elderly individuals. Using a questionnaire, we investigated subjective satisfaction with verbal communication, dental status, and HRQOL in community-residing elderly people. Methods: Subjects were 454 independent elderly individuals, with a mean age of 76.1 ± 6.8 years, living in Japan. The Japanese version of the SF-8 Health Survey was used to evaluate HRQOL. Subjective satisfaction with verbal communication was investigated using a five-point scale. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants affecting HRQOL. Covariance structure analysis was conducted to investigate any mutual association between age, presence of natural teeth, satisfaction with verbal communication, and HRQOL. Results: The HRQOL scores of subjects who answered that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with verbal communication were significantly higher than those of subjects in the groups of “neither satisfied nor unsatisfied”, the “unsatisfied”, and the “very unsatisfied” in physical component summary (PCS) scores or mental component summary (MCS) scores of SF-8 (P < 0.001). In multiple regression analysis, age, gender, and satisfaction with verbal communication were independent predictors of PCS scores. Furthermore, age and subjective satisfaction with verbal communication were also independent predictors of MCS scores. There was a significant positive correlation between subjective satisfaction with verbal communication and PCS (r = 0.307, P < 0.001) or MCS (r = 0.435, P < 0.001) in covariance structure analysis. Conclusions: Satisfaction with verbal communication is significantly related to HRQOL among Japanese community-dwelling elderly individuals.

Subjective Satisfaction with Verbal Communication, HRQOL, Elderly, Community, Oral Health Program

Hara, S. , Miura, H. , Yamasaki, K. , Morisaki, N. and Osaka, K. (2015) Relationship among Subjective Satisfaction with Verbal Communication, Dental Status, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Japanese Community-Residing Elderly Individuals. Advances in Applied Sociology, 5, 32-39. doi: 10.4236/aasoci.2015.51004.