Causal Inference Between the Health Status and Living Arrangements of Elderly People in China

Author(s):  
Freda Yanrong Wang
Author(s):  
Juliane Kemen ◽  
Silvia Schäffer-Gemein ◽  
Johanna Grünewald ◽  
Thomas Kistemann

The transdisciplinary project “Heat-Health Action Plan for Elderly People in Cologne” addresses the most heat-vulnerable risk group, people over 65 years of age. A quantitative study aimed to better understand heat perception and coping strategies of elderly people during heat waves to inform heat-health action plans. We conducted a representative quantitative survey via structured interviews with 258 randomly chosen people over 65 years old, living in their own homes in four areas of Cologne, Germany. These areas varied, both in terms of social status and heat strain. Data regarding demographics, health status, coping strategies, and heat perception were collected in personal interviews from August to October 2019. The majority of the participants perceived heat strain as moderate to very challenging. Women, people with a lower monthly income, and those with a lower health status found the heat more challenging. We found that participants adapted to heat with a number of body-related, home-protective, and activity-related coping strategies. The number of coping strategies was associated with perceived personal heat strain. There is a definite underuse of water-related heat adaption strategies among the elderly. This is of increasing relevance, as rising heat impact will lead to more heat-related geriatric morbidity. Our results are seminal to inform elderly-specific, socio-adapted local heat-health action plans.


2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen-Jong Chen ◽  
Ching-Yi Chen

This article investigates living arrangement preferences of elderly people in Taiwan, including coresidence with family (their children or spouse), coresidence with spouse only, living alone, and living in an institution. The authors consider the effects of three factors: the elderly persons’ health situation, their family resources, and their social participation, such as community workshops or political activities. Accordingly, the authors propose empirical logit models based on the well-developed discrete choice theory. Empirical results reveal that (1) elderly people with higher socioeconomic status, prefer either independent living arrangements or coresidence with their children, (2) elderly people with more family resources, such as large family size, prefer to coreside with their children, and (3) elderly people with adequate social support and/or contact networks prefer independent living arrangements.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiehua Lu ◽  
Yun Zhang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes and consequences of the patterns of Chinese elderly population’s living arrangements. It contains information that can be considered for future policy making for the elderly and to gain a better understanding of the social transition in China. Design/methodology/approach Based on the analysis of the population census data in 2000 and 2010, the authors examined the changes and trends of the living arrangements of the elderly Chinese population. Furthermore, the authors analyzed factors influencing the Chinese elderly’s living arrangements according to the data acquired from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Findings First, the proportion of the elderly people living with children has been decreasing. Second, the proportions of elderly people “living alone” and “living with spouse independently” has largely increased. Third, the changes and trends showed differences between urban and rural regions. Originality/value By looking at the characteristics among elderly people with different living arrangement patterns, those that are “living alone” are typically in disadvantaged conditions, and thus special attention should be paid with regards to related research and policies for the elderly who are “living alone.”


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 2141-2162 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNE HERM ◽  
JON ANSON ◽  
MICHEL POULAIN

ABSTRACTBeing married reduces the mortality risk of older persons. More generally, living arrangements that include co-residence with a source of support and a close care-giver are associated with a lower mortality risk. We build a detailed typology of private and collective living arrangements, including marital status, and check its association with mortality risks, controlling for health status. Using administrative data from the population register, we identify the living arrangement of all individuals aged 65 years and over living in Belgium as at 1 January 2002, and their survival during the year 2002. Data on health status are extracted from the 2001 census. We use binary logistic regression with the probability to die as outcome and living arrangement, health, age and gender as covariates. Our results show that mortality is more closely associated with actual living arrangements than with marital status. This association is age and gender-specific and remains even at very old ages. Living with a spouse is confirmed to be beneficial for survival but in older age living alone becomes more favourable. Of all living arrangements, older persons living in religious communities experience the lowest mortality risk whereas those living in nursing homes experience the highest risk.


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