Evaluating Quality of Life Indicators in Rural Areas: The Case of Villages of the Central District of Nowshahr

Introduction
Understanding, measuring, and improving the quality of life has been one of the primary goals of researchers, planners, and governments in recent decades. This scientific and research field has attracted the attention of many scholars from various domains such as sociology, psychology, economics, environmental sciences, geography, medicine, and other disciplines. Since the 1960s, quality of life has become a favored topic in the social sciences, as it became clear during that decade that economic growth and development do not necessarily lead to improvements in people's lives. Enhancing quality of life is an issue that can foster development in aspects such as social, economic, and physical development. In countries like Iran, which have a significant geographical diversity, this necessitates the development of all sectors and social units within rural communities. This concept is one of the most important and impactful foundations for advancing development goals in rural areas, especially in developing countries, and is considered one of the main pillars of sustainable development in the rural regions of the country.
 
Methodology
The present study is applied in nature and employs a descriptive-analytical methodology. The statistical population of the research consists of rural households in the central district of Nowshahr County. Using Cochran's formula, the required sample size for completing the questionnaire was determined to be 380 households, which were distributed across the studied villages. Data collection methods included both library research and fieldwork (questionnaires). The analysis of the data was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics, including t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
 
Findings
In the initial phase, a Likert-scale questionnaire was designed to gauge respondents' perceptions of quality of life across four dimensions: economic, social, physical, and environmental. Participants were asked to evaluate their agreement with statements pertaining to each criterion using a 5-point scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. This approach allowed for the measurement of satisfaction levels with various factors influencing quality of life. The one-sample t-test analysis of resident perspectives in the central district of Nowshahr indicated that the most favorable conditions are found in the physical dimension. This is supported by improvements in foundational physical indicators, including adequate heating and cooling systems, sufficient lighting, sanitary sewage systems, an appropriate number of rooms, accessible public transportation, well-maintained roads, and quality drinking water, compared to two decades ago. The quality of the landscape was assessed as above average, largely attributed to the sample villages’ location within a forested area and their proximity to the sea and pristine nature. This contributed significantly to residents' satisfaction with their environmental surroundings. Each component of the social dimension was also rated higher than average compared to the past, although there was no significant deviation from the midpoint calculation. However, the least favorable conditions were associated with the economic dimension, specifically concerning employment and income.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
The present research examines the level of satisfaction among residents of Nowshahr’s central district. Findings suggest that social characteristics of rural areas are influential factors in quality-of-life satisfaction. The hypothesis that social infrastructure is significantly related to rural residents' quality of life was confirmed. This implies that increased access to social infrastructure, including health and hygiene facilities (health houses, clinics, hospitals, and safe drinking water) and educational facilities (schools and kindergartens), is correlated with higher life satisfaction and improved quality of life, and vice versa. The overall findings of this research emphasize the positive impact of service characteristics on residents’ satisfaction with quality of life in rural areas. To improve quality of life in the physical dimension, specific recommendations include ensuring easy and affordable access to medical professionals at clinics, developing health facilities, providing comprehensive health and medical services (health houses, clinics, baths, etc.), and enhancing round-the-clock emergency services. Additionally, implementing health initiatives such as relocating livestock from villages, creating leisure spaces within villages, providing diverse entertainment options, ensuring satisfaction with recreational facilities, establishing adequate sports facilities, and promoting cultural and artistic amenities (such as libraries) are essential factors in enhancing the quality of life in rural areas. Finally, it should be noted that, as Mirzaian et al. (2016) indicated, satisfaction with quality of life is closely linked to establishing optimal conditions in the social, economic, and physical dimensions. This study further supports this assertion by attributing the improvement of quality of life in rural areas to all of the examined indicators.