Factors associated with the quality of life of older women living in rural areas: A literature review

Quality of life (QoL) is a construct that predicts disease outcomes and well-being in old age. We analyzed factors associated with QoL in older women in rural settings. We also had the following specific objectives: (i)to examine socioeconomic variables; (ii)to examine physical and mental health variables, and (iii)to examine psychosocial variables. A literature review was conducted in the main health sciences databases over the last five years. The search yielded 991 articles. Of these, 24 were reviewed, none carried out in Spain. Women in rural areas showed lower QoL scores than men. The main variables associated with QoL were household structure, educational level, income, multimorbidity, comorbidity, depression, frailty, anxiety and loneliness. This confirms the lack of studies on the QoL of older women in rural areas in Europe, specifically in Spain, which is a priority objective for public health.