Quality of Life of Older Persons in Indonesia: Sex Differences

Abstract

East Java province is one of the most populated provinces of older persons in Indonesia, and Kota Batu District occupied most of the older persons in the province. Most of older persons in Indonesia, including those who are residing in Kota Batu District, are poor. Kota Batu District is one of the districts that have a large number of older persons in Indonesia. Thus far not many research related to older persons has been conducted in the area. Although in recent years quality of life of the population has become a popular topic of discussion among academicians in Indonesia, quality of life of older persons has been a neglected area of study. Research on demography in Indonesia is still concentrated on younger population. Therefore, this paper is aimed at examining the level of quality of life of older persons aged 60 years and older. In particular, this study is aimed at exploring whether the level of quality of life is difference in terms of sex differences of older persons. Using a simple random sampling technique, a total of 300 older persons aged 60 years and older was selected. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire form, and analyzed descriptively. Result of the study show the majority of older persons in study area has a moderate level of quality of life, and there was no significant difference exist in the level of quality of life of old persons in terms of sex differences.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s2p313