Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background: We wanted to see if we could find variables that would exlain why some patients in our survey, consisting of a heterogeneous group of disabled patients at BHSS (Beitostølen Helsesportssenter), scored higher when tested on health related quality of life.
Material and method: The study population was first composed of two different samples. The first sample was a general Swedish population, taken from the Swedish manual to the SF-12 questionnaire, which probably is comparable to a general Norwegian population. The other sample was all the adult patients who where at BHSS in a time period of two years (2003-05). The population in both samples answered the SF-12 questionnaire, which is divided into a physical and mental part. In our survey we only used the results of the mental part. We then divided the sample, consisting of patients at BHSS, into groups based on different variables, such as diagnosis, gender, occupation etc. We wanted to see if any of the variables gave the patients better prognosis in terms of health quality of life. The score was divided in four = 39, 40-51, 52-56 and 57+.
Results: In the general population used in the Swedish manual to the SF-12 questionnaire, the average mental score is 52,8. A mental score on this level we consider as good. The average mental score among patients at BHSS were 47,2. The only variable that gave a statistically significant result, was the one considering living in rural areas compared to living in the city. Patient living in the cities had a large group scoring =39 compared to the patients living in rural areas.
Conclusion: The perhaps most important finding in our survey is the fact that patients at BHSS, who in most cases have substantial physical and mental disabilities, have an overall good mental score compared to the general population. We also found that patient living in rural areas seem to have better mental health than patients living in big cities.