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FS08.2
Gender, race, age & occupation effect quality of life (QoL) in ACD
Author(s) -
Belsito Donald,
Kadyk D,
Hall S
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
contact dermatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0536
pISSN - 0105-1873
DOI - 10.1111/j.0105-1873.2004.0309bx.x
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , confounding , depression (economics) , embarrassment , distress , race (biology) , gerontology , demography , clinical psychology , psychology , social psychology , botany , nursing , sociology , biology , economics , macroeconomics
Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between QoL scores for patients with ACD and confounders, such as gender, race, age, and occupation. Methods: A total of 428 subjects with ACD were, at varying times after diagnosis, mailed a QoL questionnaire modified from Skindex‐16 to include an additional 5 items pertaining to occupational impact. The QoL scores were analyzed by gender, race, age, and occupation to ascertain factors that impact QoL in subjects with ACD. Results: Three of the four confounders examined have a significant connection with QoL in patients with ACD. Non‐Caucasians had significantly worse QoL scores than Caucasians within the functioning scale, and had more emotional distress secondary to their disease. There were no statistically significant gender‐related differences in QoL scores, although females felt a higher degree of embarrassment and depression. Age significantly impacted items within the functioning and occupational scales, with subjects nearing retirement age and older reporting better QoL. In contrast, younger subjects, especially those in the 5th decade, were more likely to have difficulty pursuing daily activities, have more fear that they might need to leave their jobs, and have more concern for their financial futures. Office workers, students, and homemakers were primarily diagnosed with non‐occupational ACD, while more industrial, health care and other wet workers suffered from occupationally related ACD. In the analyses of QoL by occupation, industrial workers reported significantly more impaired QoL than subjects in other professions.