Comparing the Normal Familiesʼ and the Families with Special Patientsʼ Consumerist Lifestyles in Arak City, Iran

Subject Areas : medical documents

Mohammad Montazeri ¹ , Omid Ali Ahmadi ² , mohamad hosein asadi ³

1 - PhD student in Economic Sociology and Development, Faculty of Humanities, Ashtian Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ashtian, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, Ashtian Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ashtian, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, Ashtian Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ashtian, Iran

Received: 2025-03-01 Accepted : 2025-04-19 Published : 2025-02-01

Keywords: Lifestyle, consumerism, special patients, social welfare, social support,

Abstract :

Introduction: The occurrence of a specific chronic disease is considered one of the unforeseen changes that severely affects the family lifestyle. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the occurrence of a specific disease on family consumption and lifestyle and compare it with normal families.

Methods: This study was conducted using a cross-sectional survey method on two statistical populations including heads of normal families and families with special patients. The sample size was calculated to be 384, which were selected from normal families and families with special patients by combining cluster sampling and non-proportional classification. The data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire with face validity. The analyses were conducted in SPSS software and the reliability of the questionnaire variables was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha as higher than 0.7. In the inferential statistics section, regression, correlation, and analysis of variance tests were used.

Results: The results of the study show that consumer lifestyle in four dimensions (leisure and entertainment, nutrition, body management, and clothing and fashion) is different in normal families and families with special patients, but this difference is not significant based on the type of disease. It was also found that the individual characteristics of the patient have an effect on the consumer lifestyle of families with special patients. The results indicate that the economic capital and employment rate of normal families are more than 3 times that of special patients. This weakness of special patients' families is also visible in the dimension of social capital. Also, special patients' families are twice as likely to live in poorer areas of the city compared to normal families, and their house size is smaller compared to normal families.

Conclusion: The results of the present study confirm that the illness of a family member with a specific disease severely weakens the family's well-being and the quality of lifestyle. Accordingly, two direct and indirect support strategies are proposed to support these families. Providing financial assistance, paying subsidies, paying for pharmaceutical and laboratory costs, and assisting with insurance can be part of direct support. Indirect support is also related to the possibility of their employment and earning an independent income, and the possibility of marriage and starting a family for single patients or their unmarried children.

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