A cross-cultural comparison of health-related quality of life and its associated factors among older women in Vietnam and Australia

OBJECTIVE: This study compared health-related quality of life and its associated factors among 305 women in Vietnam and 175 women in Australia aged 60–71. Descriptive analyses, Chi square, independent t-tests, and General Linear Models were used for data analysis. RESULTS: After controlling for socio-demographics, lifestyles, and chronic diseases, older women in Vietnam had lower levels of physical health but similar levels of mental health to those in Australia. In both populations, chronic disease and diet were associated with physical health; physical activity was related to mental health. In Australia, physical activity, exercise, and Body Mass Index were also associated with physical health; age, alcohol consumption, and sleep were also linked with mental health. In Vietnam, age and marital status were also related to physical health; chronic diseases and diet were also correlated with mental health. These findings suggested that interventions developed in Australia targeting the management of diet and physical activity, may be useful for older women in Vietnam. However, future interventions in Vietnam need to be tailored to account for different age groups, marital status, and the number of chronic diseases experienced. Further investigation into the contributions of cultural factors to health-related quality of life is recommended.