Social Science Spectrum ISSN 2454-2806 Vol. 5, No. 1, March 2019, pp. 42-49 Quality of Life of Elderly in Rural Murshidabad (West Bengal) Nasim Ahamed Mondal ∗ , Ajit Kumar Kannaujiya ∗∗ , & Balhasan Ali # Abstract This study explains the quality of life among the elderly in rural Murshidabad. A community-based cross-sectional design was adopted for it. Descriptive statistics, boxplot, t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression were used for the analysis of data. The overall score of quality of life (QOL) was 41.92±7.69 where 38.53±9.12 for the physical domain; 40.28±8.12 for the psychological domain; 40.11±10.98 for the social relationship domain; and 47.59±7.69 for the environmental domain. The findings revealed that OQOL had a strong negative association with age of the elderly. Wealth status also had a significant negative association with all the domains of quality of life. Further, unemployed elderly had a lower QOL in each domain. Keywords: Elderly population, quality of life, WHO quality of life-BREF I. Introduction One of the most critical challenges faced by most countries around the world is population aging: the process of the rising share of the older population and consequently declining share of younger is brought about by both declining fertility and prolonged longevity (Raggi et al., 2016). Aging is a universal and biological phenomenon which is accompanied by physical deterioration, increased risk of disease, functional deterioration and disability. It is a reality experienced by the elderly irrespective of their socio-economic and environmental factors. The percentage of people aged 60+ increased from 7.5 per cent in 2001 to 8.6 per cent in 2011 and is projected to reach 19 per cent by 2050 (UNFPA, 2017). Currently, India is experiencing a demographic transition due to fertility decline, availability and accessibility of adequate health care services, and modern medical advancements (Bloom et al., 2013; Bloom et al., 2003). As a result of this demographic transition, life expectancy of people has increased in India leading towards ageing (Bloom et al., 2003). However, ageing increases the risk of physical, mental and social deterioration of a person affecting the overall quality of life (OQOL). In addition, increased life expectancy leads to an increased burden of diseases, especially non-communicable diseases (Lee et al., 2012). In such a situation, healthy aging has become the focal theme of aging research. India has the world’s largest aged population and most of it resides in rural areas (GOI, 2016). Technological advances in health care and improvement in living standards not only improve longevity, but also change the age structure of population and a higher dependency ratio (Bloom et al., 2003). Ageing is also associated with coexistence of multiple morbidities and the most common morbidities are depression (31.4%), musculoskeletal problems (25.5%), hypertension (24.1%), gastrointestinal problems (11.5%), diabetes (5.9%), and neurological disorders (4.7%) (Kamble et al., 2012). Rapid economic growth, modernisation, and urbanisation led to an increase in nuclear families resulting in loneliness, moving to the old age homes and nursing homes (Bloom et al., 2003). Moreover, loss of spouse, retirement, lack of social support and financial crisis led to psychological distress and loss ∗ Nasim Ahamed Mondal, Research Officer, Publication Cell, International Institute for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai 400088, Maharashtra, India. Email: nasimamu32@gmail.com ∗∗ Ajit Kumar Kannaujiya, Ph.D. Scholar, International Institute for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai 400088. Email: ajeetatbhu@gmail.com # Balhasan Ali, Ph.D. Scholar, International Institute for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai 400088. Email: alihasancs92@gmail.com Acknowledgement: The authors wish to thank the editors of the journal and Prof. R. Nagarajan, International Institute for Population Sciences for the comments and suggestions on the earlier version of this paper.