Abstract:
Background: Over 60% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa, live in informal settlements (slums) with little or no
resources. To be prepared to meet the needs of older people living in slums, it is necessary to know more about
their quality of life (QoL). The objective of this review is to identify instruments, which can be used by researchers
to assess the QoL of older adults living in African countries, especially those dwelling in slums.
Methods: A scoping review was performed using the databases Scopus, PubMed, and ISI Web of Science to
retrieve studies published from January 2008 – September 2020. Studies were included if they reported generic
QoL instruments, focused on adults with a mean age ≥ 50 and were conducted in African countries.
Results: In total, 18 studies were included using 7 unique instruments to measure QoL (EUROHIS-QOL-8, SWLS,
WHOQOL-OLD, the WHOQOL-BREF, SF-36, SF-12 and RAND-38). All instruments could be interviewer-administered
and had 5–36 items. However, little is known about their psychometric properties (validity and reliability), timeinvestment
and cultural sensitivity of the domains included in the instruments.
Conclusions: Even though this review retrieved instruments used to assess QoL of older adults in African countries,
there is a need for further research on adjustment and validation of currently existing QoL instruments. In addition,
the development and validation of a new instrument which can be used in (illiterate) older populations, living in
slums in Africa should be considered.
