Quality of life and functional capability of elderly Brazilian women.

Background: Quality of life is important at all ages, but maintaining a high quality of life is especially crucial to improve the functional capabilities of elder populations.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between quality of life and the functional capabilities of elderly Brazilian women participating in the Open University for senior citizens (UATI) in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 51 elderly women was performed along with the completion of sociodemographic, WHO Quality of life - BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and WHO Quality of life - OLD (WHOQOL-OLD) questionnaires, and standardized functional capacity tests.

Results: The one-way ANOVA with a post hoc Tukey test showed interactions between functional capacity tests and the intimacy, autonomy, and death or dying domains of the WHOQOL-OLD.

Conclusion: This study highlights the relationship between regular physical activity, improved functional capability, and quality of life, as demonstrated by better performances in the functional capacity tests resulting in a wider perception of quality of life for most of the senior women involved.