Quality of Life and Risk Factors That affect the Quality of Life of Thai Female Physicians
Teraporn Vutyavanich MD*,**, Rungaroon Sreshthaputra MSc**, Wiboolphan Thitadilok MD*,***, Nares Sukcharoen MD*,****
Affiliation : * Royal Thai College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, The Royal Golden Jubilee Building, Bangkok ** Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai *** Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok **** Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
Objective : To study the quality of life (QOL) and risk factors that affect QOL of Thai female physicians.
Materials and Methods : The Thai version of the brief form of WHO quality of life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-
BREF-THAI) and risk assessment questionnaires were mailed to 1,700 randomly selected female physicians.
Results : The authors obtained a response rate of 41.9%. Most physicians were married (57.3%), they worked
57.3 hours/week, and had a mean income of 64,622 baht/month. The prevalence of obesity was 12.6%. Most
(99.3%) did not drink alcohol, 69.6% avoided high cholesterol and a fat diet, 65.8% consumed a balanced
diet, and 55.9% included vegetables and fruit in half of their meals. The majority (62.2%) exercised for less
than 30 min/day. They used a safety belt (92.1%) or crash helmet (87.5%) when driving a motor vehicle.
Regarding their current health, 8.9% had hearing problems, 6.1% had diabetes, 3.3% had glaucoma, and
1.8% had hypertension.
Conclusion : Most female physicians had fair to good QOL scores. They were health and safety conscious.
These aspects can be used in a campaign to promote a healthier life-style for Thai women.
Keywords : Thai female physician, Quality of life, Health risk factors
