Comparison of Sleep Quality and General Health in Elderly Individuals Living in their Houses and Nursing Homes

Sleeping is one of the basic needs of human beings and sleep quality is affected by individuals’ general health. This study aimed to assess sleep quality and general health in the elderly population.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 elderly individuals in Lar (40 individuals living in nursing homes and 80 ones living in their houses). The individuals living in their houses were selected through multi-stage sampling. Sleep quality and general health were evaluated using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale (PSQI) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), respectively. The data were collected using face-to-face interviews. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software, version 20 and were analyzed using chi-square test, independent t-test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.
The score of sleep quality was significantly higher in the elderly individuals living in their houses compared to those living in nursing homes (P=0.012). Besides, 61.7% of the participants showed undesirable general health. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was found between sleep quality and general health (r=0.382, P Based on the results, the elderly individuals had undesirable sleep quality and general health. Considering the lower sleep quality and general health in the elderly individuals living in nursing homes, they have to be provided with more attention and support. Measures, such as psychological counseling and health education, are necessary in order to promote this group’s general health and sleep quality.