Background and purpose: Quality of life is considered as a comprehensive issue of health. As life
expectancy continues to rise, one of the greatest challenges of public health is to improve the quality of later years of
life. Considering the effect of socio-environment factors on health of elderly people, the aim of the present study was
to analyze the quality of life of the elderly living in Sari, Iran.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 153 individuals aged 60 years or
more living in nursing home (60) and homes (93) in Sari. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was assessed using
the Iranian version of short form 36 (SF-36) health survey questionnaire. Data were analyzed using t, analysis of
variance and correlation tests.
Results: HRQOL was found to be worse in elderly living in nursing in compared to whom living in home.
Moreover, HRQOL was found to be worse among women and in individuals at advanced age.
Conclusion: A relatively high level of HRQOL was found among elderly living in home compared with
residents in nursing home. The results suggest that healthcare programs for the elderly should take into account the
multi-dimensionality of health and social inequalities of elderly people.