Abstract
Aim
Self-rated health is a reliable and important health measure related to older people's mortality and quality of life. Few studies regarding the self-rated health of older people living alone have been carried out in Mainland China. The present study aimed to investigate the self-rated health of older people living alone in Shanghai and its associated factors.
Methods
A stratified random cluster sample of 521 community-dwelling older people living alone in Shanghai completed structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. The data collected included self-rated health, physical health, depression, functional ability, physical activity, health services satisfaction, loneliness, social support and sociodemographic variables.
Results
More than two-fifths of the participants (43.2%) reported good self-rated health. Multinomial logistic regression analyses found that chronic disease, acute disease, functional ability, satisfaction with health services, depression and age were predictors of self-rated health.
Conclusions
Identifying factors associated with the self-rated health of older people living alone could inform the delivery of appropriate health and social care interventions to promote older people's health.
Self-rated health is a reliable and important health measure related to older people's mortality and quality of life. Few studies regarding the self-rated health of older people living alone have been carried out in Mainland China. The present study aimed to investigate the self-rated health of older people living alone in Shanghai and its associated factors.
Methods
A stratified random cluster sample of 521 community-dwelling older people living alone in Shanghai completed structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. The data collected included self-rated health, physical health, depression, functional ability, physical activity, health services satisfaction, loneliness, social support and sociodemographic variables.
Results
More than two-fifths of the participants (43.2%) reported good self-rated health. Multinomial logistic regression analyses found that chronic disease, acute disease, functional ability, satisfaction with health services, depression and age were predictors of self-rated health.
Conclusions
Identifying factors associated with the self-rated health of older people living alone could inform the delivery of appropriate health and social care interventions to promote older people's health.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | N/A |
| Pages (from-to) | N/A |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Geriatrics & gerontology international |
| Volume | N/A |
| Issue number | N/A |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 2014 |