Poverty in old age: evidence from Hong Kong

ABSTRACTThe Hong Kong population will age rapidly over the next three decades and the entailing problem of old-age poverty will put the Hong Kong government to test. While the government has been using a solely income-based measurement, the main purpose of this study is to assess poverty rates among Hong Kong's older population in terms of both income and consumption-based measurements by using both relative and absolute concepts of poverty. It also examines the association of socio-economic and household characteristics with elder poverty rates. A two-stage stratified sample design was adopted. A total of 4,306 older adults were personally interviewed in their homes, yielding a response rate of 66.2 per cent. This study contributes to the larger study on poverty in Hong Kong by revealing how income and consumption poverty rates may differ among older adults. Older adults who were both income and consumption poor were more likely to be female, widowed, living alone and to have received less than an elementary school-level education. They possessed very few assets and were most likely financially dependent on family support and welfare payments. To understand fully the economic wellbeing of older adults in Hong Kong, this study proposes that joint distribution of income and consumption poverty can better identify and explain the demographic characteristics of the poor older adults. Implications of the study are discussed based on the neo-liberalist approach that the Hong Kong government has taken in welfare provisions.

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A longitudinal analysis of the association between the living arrangements and psychological well-being of older Chinese adults: the role of income sources

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-019-1371-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zi Zhou ◽

Lun Cai ◽

Meilan Zhuang ◽

Y. Alicia Hong ◽

Ya Fang

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Well Being ◽

Total Sample ◽

Moderating Effect ◽

Living Alone ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Income Sources ◽

The Government ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background Understanding how living arrangements may affect psychological well-being (PWB) is critical in China, a society with the largest older population in the world. However, few studies have examined the moderating effect of income sources on the relationship between living arrangements and PWB. Our aim was to examine whether living arrangements are associated with PWB and whether income sources moderate this association. Methods The data were drawn from the third (2002) to sixth (2011/2012) waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Six questions reflecting older adults’ well-being were used to measure PWB. Living arrangements were classified as follows: living alone, living with family and living in an institution. Income sources were categorized into financially independent, supported by children, and governmental support. We performed random-effects ordinal probit models to examine the association of living arrangements with PWB and the moderating effect of income sources on this relationship. Results We included a total sample of 30,899 observations for 16,020 respondents aged 65 and over during 9-year follow-up. Older adults living with family (β = .29, p < .001) and those living in an institution (β = .34, p < .001) had stronger PWB than those living alone; moreover, support from children (β= −.24, p < .001) or from the government (β= −.08, p < .05) has a negative effect on PWB compared to the effect of financial self-support. Living in an institution with support from children (β= −.22, p < .05) led to lower PWB than living alone with financial self-support. The opposite result was observed for older adults living with their family and supported by the government (β = .16, p < .05). Conclusions Our analysis provides a significant contribution to the existing literature on the relationship between living arrangements and PWB in China. We recognize that living with family or in an institution leads to better PWB than does living alone. In addition, financial support from the government can moderate this association.

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Objectively-Measured Neighbourhood Attributes as Correlates and Moderators of Quality of Life in Older Adults with Different Living Arrangements: The ALECS Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16050876 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 876 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Casper Zhang ◽

Anthony Barnett ◽

Janice Johnston ◽

Poh-chin Lai ◽

Ruby Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Local Environment ◽

Living Alone ◽

World Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Objectively Measured

With an ageing world population, preservation of older adults’ health and quality of life (QoL) is paramount. Due to lower levels of physical functionality, older adults are particularly susceptible to local environment influences, especially those living alone and lacking family support. Using generalised additive mixed models, we examined associations and confounder-adjusted associations between objectively-measured neighbourhood attributes and QoL domains in 909 Hong Kong Chinese elderly community dwellers. Most examined neighbourhood attributes were not associated with QoL in the whole sample. Neighbourhood residential and entertainment density was curvilinearly and/or linearly related to specific QoL domains. Number of parks was negatively associated with social QoL and having well-treed parks with higher levels of social QoL. Older adults living alone in neighbourhoods with poor access to destinations and few activities in parks showed lower environmental and/or social QoL than their counterparts. Neighbourhood built environment characteristics do not seem to impact Hong Kong older adults’ physical and psychological QoL. Medium-to-high density, well-ordered neighbourhoods with optimal mixes of well-treed public open spaces and services meeting their daily needs may significantly contribute to social and environmental QoL in this population and appear particularly important to those living alone.

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PREPARATION FOR FUTURE IN OLD AGE: WHY AND WHY NOT?

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2748 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S749-S749

Author(s):

Helene H Fung

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Old Age ◽

Population Aging ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Age Related ◽

The Usa ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Using Data

Abstract With population aging, many people can expect to spend 30 or more years in old age. The five papers included in this symposium aim at shedding light on whether and how to make plans for old age, using data from the “Aging as Future” Project. First, Park and Hess used data spanning across adulthood from Germany, Hong Kong and the USA to examine how changes experienced in domains of functioning and the importance attached to these domains influenced preparations for old age. Next, de Paula Couto and Rothermund, examining Germans aged 40-90 years, pointed out that prescriptive age stereotypes might be the main drive for why people make preparations for age-related changes. The remaining three papers use qualitative data to qualify the above quantitative findings. Adamson and Ekerdt interviewed older Midwest US residents. They observed that SES greatly impacted how older adults perceived and made plans for their future. The final two papers examined how rural vs. urban contexts might affect preparations for future. Liou interviewed older adults in rural Tainan and found that their ideal old age was one about no future preparation, at least not about making plans for themselves (called “tranquil life”). Ho and colleagues, in contrast, found that for older Chinese residing in urban Hong Kong, not preparing for the future (called “time freeze”) was negatively related to physical and psychological well-being. The symposium will end with an overall discussion on future research directions on whether and how to make plans for old age.

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Who Lives Alone During Old Age? Trends in the Social and Functional Disadvantages of Sweden’s Solitary Living Older Adults

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/0164027517747120 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 40 (9) ◽

pp. 815-838 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Benjamin A. Shaw ◽

Stefan Fors ◽

Johan Fritzell ◽

Carin Lennartsoon ◽

Neda Agahi

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Old Age ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Living Alone ◽

Mobility Impairment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Never Married ◽

Solitary Living ◽

The Social ◽

Age Trends

This study identifies specific social and functional disadvantages associated with living alone during old age in Sweden and assesses whether these associations have changed during recent decades. Data came from repeated cross-sectional surveys of Swedish adults aged 77+ during 1992–2014. Findings indicate that several types of disadvantage are consistently associated with the probability of living alone including financial insecurity and having never married for women and having never married and mobility impairment for men. Also for older men, low education has become an increasing strong determinant of living alone. These findings suggest that older adults who live alone are a subgroup that is particularly, and in some cases increasingly, vulnerable with respect to social and functional status. This has important policy implications related to addressing the needs of this growing subgroup as well as methodological implications for studies on the health effects of living alone.

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Cross-sectional associations of objectively assessed neighbourhood attributes with depressive symptoms in older adults of an ultra-dense urban environment: the Hong Kong ALECS study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020480 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. e020480 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Casper J P Zhang ◽

Anthony Barnett ◽

Cindy H P Sit ◽

Poh-chin Lai ◽

Janice M Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Public Transport ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Living Alone ◽

Hong Kong Chinese ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Environmental Attributes

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the associations between objectively assessed neighbourhood environmental attributes and depressive symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese older adults and the moderating effects of neighbourhood environmental attributes on the associations between living arrangements and depressive symptoms.DesignCross-sectional observational study.SettingHong Kong.Participants909 Hong Kong Chinese community dwellers aged 65+ years residing in preselected areas stratified by walkability and socioeconomic status.Exposure and outcome measuresAttributes of participants’ neighbourhood environment were objectively assessed using geographic information systems and environmental audits. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale.ResultsOverall, pedestrian infrastructure (OR=1.025; P=0.008), connectivity (OR=1.039; P=0.002) and prevalence of public transport stops (OR=1.056; P=0.012) were positively associated with the odds of reporting depressive symptoms. Older adults living alone were at higher risk of reporting any depressive symptoms than those living with others (OR=1.497; P=0.039). This association was moderated by neighbourhood crowdedness, perceptible pollution, access to destinations and presence of people. Residing in neighbourhoods with lower levels of these attributes was associated with increased deleterious effects of living alone. Living in neighbourhoods with lower public transport density also increased the deleterious effects of living alone on the number of depressive symptoms. Those living alone and residing in neighbourhoods with higher levels of connectivity tended to report more depressive symptoms than their counterparts.ConclusionsThe level of access to destinations and social networks across Hong Kong may be sufficiently high to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in older adults. Yet, exposure to extreme levels of public transport density and associated traffic volumes may increase the risk of depressive symptoms. The provision of good access to a variety of destinations, public transport and public open spaces for socialising in the neighbourhood may help reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in older adults who live alone.

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Meaning in LifeDepressionand Suicidal Ideation in Old Age :A Comparative Study of Living Alone and Not Living Alone Older Adults

Korean Journal of Gerontological Social Welfare ◽

10.21194/kjgsw.74.2.201906.163 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 163-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Seok In Nam ◽

Jihae See ◽

Ye Eun Jung ◽

Joosuk Chae

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Comparative Study ◽

Old Age ◽

Living Alone

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Trends in the Mortality Risk of Living Alone during Old Age in Sweden, 1992–2011

Journal of Aging and Health ◽

10.1177/0898264320930452 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (10) ◽

pp. 1399-1408

Author(s):

Benjamin A. Shaw ◽

Lena Dahlberg ◽

Charlotta Nilsen ◽

Neda Agahi

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Old Age ◽

Mortality Risk ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Living Alone ◽

Service Needs ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Time Period ◽

The Mean ◽

Nationally Representative

Objectives: This study investigates the association between living alone and mortality over a recent 19-year period (1992–2011). Method: Data from a repeated cross-sectional, nationally representative (Sweden) study of adults ages 77 and older are analyzed in relation to 3-year mortality. Results: Findings suggest that the mortality risk associated with living alone during old age increased between 1992 and 2011 ( p = .076). A small increase in the mean age of those living alone is partly responsible for the strengthening over time of this association. Throughout this time period, older adults living alone consistently reported poorer mobility and psychological health, less financial security, fewer social contacts, and more loneliness than older adults living with others. Discussion: Older adults living alone are more vulnerable than those living with others, and their mortality risk has increased. They may have unique service needs that should be considered in policies aiming to support aging in place.

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THE STATUS OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN KENYA: THE CASE OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NAIROBI COUNTY

Mousaion ◽

10.25159/0027-2639/1694 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 150-172 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Benjamin Mutungi ◽

Mabel Minishi-Majanja ◽

Nampombe Mnkeni-Saurombe

Keyword(s):

Secondary Schools ◽

Response Rate ◽

School Principals ◽

School Libraries ◽

School Level ◽

School Librarians ◽

The Status ◽

Individual School ◽

Information Skills ◽

The Government

In order for school libraries to contribute sufficiently to better information skills development and the creation of a culture of lifelong learning among students, they require backing through well-articulated policies both at national and individual school level. This article reports on a study that investigated the prevailing status of school libraries in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. Using a survey research design, with a response rate of 68 per cent for school principals and 66 per cent for school librarians, the study established that the majority of the schools had school libraries but these were as a result of individual schoolsâ€™ efforts and not a nationwide government policy. Moreover, the school libraries lacked policies; had not embraced contemporary trends in technology; and lacked financial support. The study concluded that school libraries in Nairobi County were inadequately resourced and supported and recommended that the government of Kenya should develop national policies to entrench and support school libraries in the education system.

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The road ahead: should Hong Kong develop five pillars of old age protection?

Asian Education and Development Studies ◽

10.1108/aeds-08-2020-0196 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Gigi Lam

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Old Age ◽

Pension System ◽

Pension Reform ◽

Critical Time ◽

Welfare System ◽

Low Fertility ◽

Content Type ◽

The Government ◽

Familial Dependence

PurposeThis paper demonstrates that Hong Kong currently provides four pillars of old-age protection: a publicly managed and noncontributory social security system (zero pillar), a funded contribution scheme (the second pillar), voluntary personal savings (the third pillar) and informal support, formal social programs and other individual financial assets (the fourth pillar). This paper aims at evaluating current four pillars of old-age protection and unraveling the deep-seated causes underlying the current old-age protection model by tracing a short history from 1965 onward. This paper aims at making recommendations about the current old-age protection model.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes the current four pillars of old age protection. A comprehensive literature review was conducted covering relevant government reports, academics' journal papers and nongovernmental organizations' reports concerning the development of old age protection system from 1965 to the present.FindingsThe poverty rate of elderly residents was approximately 44.5% between 2009 and 2018, indicating that the four pillars of old-age protection had been unable to alleviate poverty in the aging population. The development of the current four pillars is attributed to a residual welfare system, the effectiveness of which is further dependent on familial dependence or welfare financialization. However, the reliability of familial dependence is affected by the declining coresidence rate and low fertility rate, whereas welfare financialization not only predominately favors financial institutions but also exacerbates income polarization. Therefore, the University of Hong Kong (2014) introduced an additional pillar of noncontributory social pension and assistance, which generated a contentious debate. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government initiated a public engagement exercise on retirement protection in 2015 to assess public opinion on old-age protection. These consultation exercises were met with broad public disappointment because of the explicit reservations imposed by the government on the proposals.Practical implicationsAlthough the government's resistant attitude can be attributed to the residual welfare system, pension reform needs to be urgently implemented at three levels, namely strengthening of each pillar, emphasis on the pillar's interrelatedness and introduction of the first pillar.Originality/valueThe poverty of the elderly population is serious in Hong Kong. It is important to solve the deep-seated problems faced by the current old-age protection model. Hence, it comes a critical time to design a sustainable old-age protection model despite the heated discussion on the establishment of a central provident fund and pension system among officials since 1960s.

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