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The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on July 8, 2009
The European Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckp098
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Impact of the most frequent chronic health conditions on the quality of life among people aged >15 years in Madrid

M. Esteban y Peña1, Rodrigo Jiménez García2, J. M.Díaz Olalla1, E. Villasevil Llanos3, A. Gil de Miguel2 and X. Fernández Cordero1

1 Institute of Public Health, Madrid Health (Madrid Salud), Madrid City Council, (Ayuntamiento de Madrid) Spain
2 Preventive Medicine and Public Health Teaching and Research Unit, Health Sciences Faculty, Rey Juan Carlos University, Alcorcón 28922, Spain
3 La Paz University Teaching Hospital, Madrid Region, Spain

Correspondence: Rodrigo Jimenez Garcia, Preventive Medicine and Public Health Teaching and Research Unit, Health Sciences Faculty, Rey Juan Carlos University, Alcorcón 28922, Spain, tel: +34 91 4888853, fax: +34 91 4888848, e-mail: rodrigo.jimenez{at}urjc.es

Received November 18, 2008 , accepted June 18, 2009

Background: This study sought to ascertain to what degree health-related quality of life (HRQL) in the City of Madrid was affected by each of the most frequent chronic health conditions, and the specific quality-of-life (QL) domains on which such health conditions had the greatest impact, taking co-morbidity and socio-demographic variables into account. Methods: A descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted covering 7341 subjects aged ≥16 years in the City of Madrid. Data were collected on self-reported diagnosed morbidity, including hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, varicose veins, diabetes, chronic asthma/bronchitis, myocardial infarction/angina pectoris, stomach problems, allergy, arthrosis/arthritis or rheumatism, depression/anxiety, cataracts, cerebrovascular accidents (CVACs), chronic constipation, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease or dementia. HRQL was measured using the COOP/WONCA questionnaire. The effects of diagnosis, age, social class, gender and the co-morbidity were analysed using a multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: The chronic health conditions that registered the worst overall mean scores on the COOP/WONCA questionnaire were Alzheimer's disease or dementia, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, CVACs and depression, with scores of over 26 points in all cases. After the introduction of socio-demographic variables in the model, the highest values of Snedecor's F-test corresponds to depression (F = 461.63), ‘arthrosis/arthritis or rheumatism’ (F = 175.41), Alzheimer's disease or dementia (F = 65.70), gastric disorders (F = 65.17), cancer (F = 43.08) and CVACs (F = 41.65). Conclusions: Depression and ‘arthrosis/arthritis or rheumatism’ are the two chronic health conditions, which have the greatest impact on HRQL in Madrid's citizens, therefore is mandatory to propose and implement public health strategies that would reduce the prevalence and morbidity of such disorders.

Keywords: chronic health conditions, COOP/WONCA Functional Health Assessment Charts, health dimension, quality of life.


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