Health-Related Quality of Life and Socioeconomic Status: Inequalities among Adults in West of Iran

Socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the main determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), where people with lower SES experience more health problems, have a lower quality of life, and are exposed to have a greater number of health-related risk factors.
This study aimed to examine the relationships between HRQoL, SES, and several demographic factors among the residents of the city of Ilam (located at the West of Iran).
This cross sectional study was conducted on 400 households from 3 districts of the city of Ilam in 2015. The participants were selected on the basis of the multistage sampling method. The second version of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12v2) questionnaire and the Wealth Index were used to measure HRQoL and SES, respectively.
The mean scores of the physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary (MCS) were 46.32 ± 9.69 and 42.12 ± 9.11, respectively. The findings indicated that PCS (P = 0.01) and MCS (P = 0.01) were significantly related to SES (wealth index). The demographic variables of age, gender, education level, marital status, job status, and home ownership (P HRQoL is directly related to SES, in that HRQoL is higher in families with higher SES. Similarly, HRQL is higher in younger people, men, and those with a university degree. A decrease in socio-economic inequalities and the gap between the rich and the poor can enhance the individuals’ health status and HRQoL within a community.