Age self-assessment of 55-64 years old women as an express method for determining the parameters of life quality in the Circumpolar region

The purpose of this study consisted in the comparative evaluation of the quality of life parameters (QOL) among the female residents of the Arkhangelsk region aged 55-64 years old with different levels of the age self-assessment. The study group (SG) of 104 women reported that they felt at their calendar age (CA) and older. The comparison group (CG) of 252 women - subjectively felt younger than their CA for 5 years or more. For the women surveyed, aging rate (AR) was calculated by the method of V. P. Voitenko (the 3rd version). It was established that the AR indicators in women of the CG were lower than those for women of the SG (p < 0,001). To assess the quality of life, the SF-36v2 questionnaire was used. It was found that all scales and grouped indicators in women in the comparison group were higher than in the study group. The obtained results indicated that the determination of the subjective assessment of wellbeing through a subjectively experienced age (SEA) in women could be an informative indicator of the general state of their health and quality of life as well as an independent important criterion for the prediction of adverse aging risk, the diseases development, as well as the degree of adaptation to the age-related changes.