This study sought to analyze which aspects of quality of life (QoL; Physical, Psychological, Social Relationships and Environmental) are associated with the perception of health among elderly women from low-income neighborhoods in Curitiba in the state of Paraná. The sample comprised 450 elderly participants of the Elderly in Motion Program of the Boqueirão, Pinheirinho and Bairro Novo neighborhoods. The question "How do you rate your general health?" was used to assess the perceived health in the elderly, and the Whoqol-Bref questionnaire was used to identify the aspects of QoL. Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's correlation test and binary logistic regression were used for data analysis. All aspects were significantly associated with perceived health (p < 0.05). However, after adjusting for confounding variables, only the Physical and Environmental aspects revealed significant associations. In other words, elderly women with a negative perception of these aspects were twice as likely to have a negative perception of health. The conclusion reached is that programs aimed at promoting health and QoL in low-income elderly women ought to concentrate their actions on the physical and environmental aspects of QoL.
Quality of life; Health of the elderly; Environment
