Quality of Life among Women Living with Gynecological Malignancies in Zaria, Nigeria
Main Article Content
Keywords
Gynaecology, Malignancy, Quality of Life, Zaria
Abstract
Background: Cancer can have an impact on Quality of Life (QoL), which can be influenced by an individual's culture and value system.
Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving all women with gynecological malignancies accessing care at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria.
The sample size constituted all women diagnosed with any gynecological malignancy who accessed care in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital within six months from the start of data collection. This period was from October 1st, 2023, to March 31st, 2024. A total of 176 cases were identified. The WHOQOL BREF was used to assess QoL. Scores greater than one standard deviation above the mean were considered good, scores less than one standard deviation below the mean were regarded as poor, while scores that fell between them were deemed fair.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 49.4 ± SD15.0 years. The mean overall quality of life and overall health were 3.18 ± SD 1.1 and 3.10 ± SD 1.1, respectively. The overall quality of life was poor in 19 (26%) of respondents, and only 7 (9.6%) of respondents had a good quality of life. The majority had a fair overall QoL. The overall QoL was significantly affected by the stage of disease (p=0.04) and treatment status (p=0.02).
Conclusions: QoL concerns need to be addressed while offering care for women with gynecological malignancies.
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