Assessing quality of life from the perspective of supporting dietary habits

Abstract

　Health-related quality of life （QOL） is the ultimate objective of health care activities such as health promotion and dietary education. Other important objectives are good health and nutritional status and their predictive factors. However, there is insufficient evidence regarding factors related to these objectives and their correlations. Also, it is difficult to assess people’s life satisfaction and well-being （i.e., QOL）. Therefore, studies examining the effect of nutritional and physical activity education programs on QOL are very limited.

　In this review, we discuss the concept, definition, classification, and assessment of QOL, which we then apply to the development of new model for community-dwelling adults with intellectual disabilities. The results indicated that the development and implementation of a nutritional and physical activity program according to individual characteristics is necessary for improving health status and QOL in this target population.

　Lastly, we consider possible future directions for supporting dietary habits that could be used to improve QOL.