Social networks and their association with quality of life among older adults in rural Burkina Faso

The study examined social networks and their impact on quality of life among older adults in rural Burkina Faso. The research was conducted in 60 villages around Nouna in July and August 2021 with 2390 respondents with a median age of 55 years, of which 55.8% were female. The most common types of social networks were Locally Integrated (35.4%) and Family Dependent (30.3%) networks. Results showed that the Wider Community-Focused network type was associated with significantly better quality of life. However, when results were adjusted for respondents' health status, most associations between network types and quality of life became non-significant. The study concluded that diseases have a greater impact on quality of life in older adults than the type of social network.