Background:
Leprosy still remains an important public health problem in India. Though effective treatment is available, but delay in diagnosis and seeking treatment often results in patients presenting with deformity and disability affecting their quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of leprosy patients with grade-1 or above disability and to identify certain factors affecting QOL.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Government Leprosy Hospital in western Maharashtra using the WHO quality of life assessment questionnaire, WHO-QOL (BREF).
Results: In the assessment of QoL, the lowest rating was observed in the social domain, and the highest was observed in the environmental domain. Males had better QOL scores in all domains as compared to their female counterparts. The internal consistency of WHOQOL-BREF was acceptable to the facets and domains.
Conclusions: Leprosy not only causes physical suffering but also impacts bodily image, leading to low confidence, ostracization from family and society, as well as economic deprivation, leading to poor quality of life.
BT - International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health DO - 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20254042 IS - 12 LA - ENG M3 - Article N2 -Background:
Leprosy still remains an important public health problem in India. Though effective treatment is available, but delay in diagnosis and seeking treatment often results in patients presenting with deformity and disability affecting their quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of leprosy patients with grade-1 or above disability and to identify certain factors affecting QOL.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Government Leprosy Hospital in western Maharashtra using the WHO quality of life assessment questionnaire, WHO-QOL (BREF).
Results: In the assessment of QoL, the lowest rating was observed in the social domain, and the highest was observed in the environmental domain. Males had better QOL scores in all domains as compared to their female counterparts. The internal consistency of WHOQOL-BREF was acceptable to the facets and domains.
Conclusions: Leprosy not only causes physical suffering but also impacts bodily image, leading to low confidence, ostracization from family and society, as well as economic deprivation, leading to poor quality of life.
PB - Medip Academy PY - 2025 SP - 5640 EP - 5644 T2 - International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health TI - Assessment of quality of life of patients with leprosy treated at a tertiary care centre in western Maharashtra UR - https://www.ijcmph.com/index.php/ijcmph/article/view/14893/8909 VL - 12 SN - 2394-6040, 2394-6032 ER -