Contamination of groundwater by inorganic arsenic is one of the major
public-health problems in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was
conducted (a) to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) and mental health
status of arsenic-affected patients and (b) to identify the factors
associated with the QOL. Of 1,456 individuals, 521 (35.78%) were
selected as case and control participants, using a systematic
random-sampling method. The selection criteria for cases (n=259)
included presence of at least one of the following: melanosis,
leucomelanosis on at least 10% of the body, or keratosis on the hands
or feet. Control (nonpatient) participants (n=262) were selected from
the same villages by matching age (\ub15 years) and gender. The
Bangladeshi version of the WHOQOL-BREF was used for assessing the QOL,
and the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ) was used for assessing the
general mental health status. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test
and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and the WHOQOL-BREF and SRQ scores
between the patients and the non-patients were compared. The mean
scores of QOL were significantly lower in the patients than those in
the non-patients of both the sexes. Moreover, the mental health status
of the arsenic-affected patients (mean score for males=8.4 and
females=10.3) showed greater disturbances than those of the
non-patients (mean score for males=5.2 and females=6.1) of both the
sexes. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the
factors potentially contributing to the lower QOL scores included:
being an arsenic-affected patient, having lower age, and having lower
annual income. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the QOL and
mental health status of the arsenic-affected patients were
significantly lower than those of the non-patients in Bangladesh.
Appropriate interventions are necessary to improve the well-being of
the patients