Assessing quality of life in persons living with rheumatoid arthritis: A capability-based approach

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) in patients living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using a capability-based approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, descriptive study was conducted at Agadir Regional Hospital, involving 30 RA patients. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire based on the capability approach, assessing four key dimensions: physical health, emotional wellbeing, access to leisure activities, and control over the material environment. The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) was used to validate the capability-based approach. RESULTS: The findings indicated that 80% of participants reported moderate to good QoL, while 20% experienced low QoL. Emotional wellbeing scored the lowest (3.50 ± 1.31), highlighting significant emotional distress. Physical health (2.77 ± 0.75) and access to leisure activities (2.83 ± 0.75) were in the moderate range. Control over the material environment had a higher QoL score (2.52 ± 0.94), indicating relatively stable financial conditions. Significant correlations were found between age and physical health (r = 0.54, P = 0.002), and education level and QoL ( P = 0.028), with older and less educated participants reporting lower QoL. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that RA significantly impacts multiple dimensions of patients’ QoL, particularly emotional wellbeing. The capability-based approach offers valuable insights into the broader aspects of RA’s impact on daily life. However, limitations such as the small sample size and single-site study suggest that further research is needed with larger and more diverse populations to validate these findings and explore changes in QoL over time.