Evaluation of A designed Program to Improve Quality of Life among β-Thalassemia Major Patients in Gaza Strip, Palestine

Abstract

β-thalassemia (β-TM) is a global public health problem that affect populations from different parts of the world. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a designed program to improve the quality of life among thalassemia patients in Gaza Strip. Material & methods: The study used quazi-experimental design (pre-test, intervention, post-test). In this study 50 thalassemic patients (aged 16 years and more) attended an educational program to improve their quality of life (QoL). The researcher used the short form of QoL questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF) designed by WHO (1997). Reliability of the questionnaire was tested and alpha coefficient was 0.88. Results: the mean age of the participants was 21.74 (16 – 30 years), 56% male and 44% female patients. The mean QoL score was 2.82 (56.4%) before intervention, increased to 3.32 (66.4%) after intervention. The mean score of satisfaction with health was 2.84 (56.8%) before intervention, increased to 3.08 (61.6%) after intervention. The mean score of physical health was 2.65 before intervention increased to 3.23 after intervention. The mean score of psychological health was 2.83 before intervention increased to 3.39 after intervention. The mean score of social relations was 3.00 before intervention increased to 3.52 after intervention. The mean score of satisfaction with environment was 2.66 before intervention increased to 3.35 after intervention. The overall mean score of QoL was 2.75 before intervention increased to 3.33 after intervention with 21.09% change. Participants aged 20 years and less expressed significant higher QoL after intervention compared to younger patients. There were no significant differences in QoL scores related to gender, level of education, and work status. Conclusion: The study concluded that the education program was effective and improved the level of QoL significantly.