scholarly journals Does Participation in Local Non-agricultural Employment Improve the Mental Health of Elderly Adults in Rural Areas? Evidence From China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Jia ◽  
Jincai Zhuang ◽  
Andrea Maria Vaca Lucero ◽  
Charles Dwumfour Osei ◽  
Juan Li

A rising rate of suicide among the elderly in rural China has been recognized to be triggered by mental health-associated factors. This study uses 3,397 sampled rural elderly adults from China Labor-force Dynamic Survey in 2016 to explore the response mechanism through which non-agricultural employment participation by the elderly adults in rural China can influence their mental health. Utilizing the Multivariate Regression, Instrumental Variable and Propensity Score Matching methods, we find that, the rural elderly adults who participate in local non-agricultural employment significantly improve their mental health. Self-employment tends to have a greater positive contribution to the mental health of the elderly population than waged employment. Further, work income, need for belongingness and respect, and human capital development significantly mediates the influence of participation in local non-agricultural employment on the mental health of the elderly adults. Finally, we put forward relevant policy suggestions to improving the mental health of the elderly in the countryside.

Author(s):  
Yunli Bai ◽  
Fang Bian ◽  
Linxiu Zhang ◽  
Yueming Cao

With the dramatic trend of global aging, the physical and mental health of the rural elderly has attracted significant attention. Social support plays an important role in improving the health of the elderly. However, assessing the impact of social support on the physical and mental health of the elderly is challenging in rural China. This paper analyzes the impact of social support on the physical and mental health of the Chinese rural elderly based on data collected from households and village cadres. Probit, Oprobit, and ordinary least squares (OLS) are used to estimate these effects. The results show that 24.3% of the rural elderly are in bad physical health, and 32.9% of them are depressed. Physical and mental health is worse among the female elderly and among those who are in western provinces. Having pensions, taking care of grandchildren, and communicating with children by telephone are shown to significantly improve the mental health of the rural elderly. The government could promote the mental health of the rural elderly by improving public health services, increasing pensions, providing free mobile phones to elderly people in poverty, and advocating that the younger generation provide emotional support.


Author(s):  
Natuya Zhuori ◽  
Yu Cai ◽  
Yan Yan ◽  
Yu Cui ◽  
Minjuan Zhao

As the trend of aging in rural China has intensified, research on the factors affecting the health of the elderly in rural areas has become a hot issue. However, the conclusions of existing studies are inconsistent and even contradictory, making it difficult to form constructive policies with practical value. To explore the reasons for the inconsistent conclusions drawn by relevant research, in this paper we constructed a meta-regression database based on 65 pieces of relevant literature published in the past 25 years. For more valid samples to reduce publication bias, we also set the statistical significance of social support to the health of the elderly in rural areas as a dependent variable. Finally, combined with multi-dimensional social support and its implications for the health of the elderly, meta-regression analysis was carried out on the results of 171 empirical studies. The results show that (1) subjective support rather than objective support can have a significant impact on the health of the elderly in rural areas, and there is no significant difference between other dimensions of social support and objective support; (2) the health status of the elderly in rural areas in samples involving western regions is more sensitive to social support than that in samples not involving the western regions; (3) among the elderly in rural areas, social support for the older male elderly is more likely to improve their health than that for the younger female elderly; and (4) besides this, both data sources and econometric models greatly affect the heterogeneity of the effect of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas, but neither the published year nor the journal is significant. Finally, relevant policies and follow-up studies on the impact of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas are discussed.


1988 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Hendricks ◽  
Howard B. Turner

Despite growing concern with rural elderly populations, little attention has focused on their mental health, ways it may correlate with physical health, or how rural mental health patterns compare to urban. Popular wisdom contends that elderly people in general, and rural elderly persons in particular, are at increased risk for mental illness. This article examines these questions. A review of available literature suggests that elderly people may be at only slightly greater risk of mental illness than the population at large, though there are some indications that rates of depression may be somewhat higher among the elderly population. Much of this same literature implies that objective environmental conditions play a significant role in the incidence of depression. Analysis of data gathered in a statewide random poll ( N = 743) indicates that while physical health tends to be poorer among rural populations, when health is held constant there is actually an inverse relationship between age and depression. Therefore, rural elderly persons are no more likely to be depressed than their urban counterparts despite harsher living conditions. Both conceptual and policy implications are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao Chen ◽  
Yunshu Zhang ◽  
Jinghua Cao ◽  
Keqing Li

Basicneeds Foundation as an international charitable organization,after years of efforts,it explores a suitable for the development of mental health services and the development model and developed countries.It makes the majority of mental health patients recover their health, social function and the ability to work has been restored.Since 2012, carried out in China, also made a lot of results.This article starts from Basicneeds’s five modules, which were summarized in China Baoding Shunping rural areas, for mental illness research progress.At the same time, the Basicneeds group also hopes to improve its model, making it more suitable for the situation in China, and in more places be promoted.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trilochan Bhoi ◽  
Jaya singh Kshatri ◽  
Shakti Ranjan Barik ◽  
Subrata Kumar Palo ◽  
Sanghamitra Pati

Background In India, it is predicted that the elderly population will be increased from 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2050. Geriatric population contributes around 9% of total Odisha population and 86.3% of them residing in rural areas. Estimating the prevalence of osteoarthritis knee and determining its risk factors would help in developing better preventive and control strategies.Methods A cross-sectional study among 725 rural elderly was carried out in the Tigiria block of Cuttack district, Odisha, India. Previous medical history of arthritis diagnosed by medical professional was taken as positive for osteoarthritis knee (OA Knee). Data were recorded using android tablets installed with open data kit software and statistical analysis such as chi-square test and binary logistic regression was done using SPSS v.23. Results the prevalence of OA knee was 56.7% where both the sexes were similarly affected. Major portion of the OA knee participants were illiterates and doesn’t working currently also more among poor socio-economic group. Factors like extended family type, poor socio-economic status, both underweight as well as overweight, and diabetes mellitus had shown significant association with OA knee.Conclusion Osteoarthritis of knee joint affects majority of the rural elderly and impacts their ability to perform daily activities. With increased age of living, this is becoming a major public health issue. The findings from the present study would help policymakers and program implementers in developing appropriate strategies for prevention, early case identification and prompt management to improve the quality of life among elderly.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shekhar Chauhan ◽  
Shubham Kumar ◽  
Ratna Patel ◽  
David Jean Simon ◽  
Aradhana Singh

Abstract Background: While controlling the outbreak of communicable diseases (CDs) remained a priority, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are placing an unavoidable burden on the health and social security system. India, a developing nation in South Asia, has seen an unprecedented economic growth in the past few years; however, it struggled to fight the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the burden of CDs and NCDs among elderly in India.Methods: Data from Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI Wave-I, 2017-18) were drawn to conduct this study. Response variables were the occurrence of CDs and NCDs. The bi-variate and binary logistic regression were used to predict the association between communicable and non-communicable diseases by various socio-demographic and health parameters. Furthermore, to understand the inequalities of communicable and non-communicable diseases in urban and rural areas, the Fairlie decomposition technique was used to predict the contribution toward rural-urban inequalities in CDs and NCDs.Results: Prevalence of communicable diseases was higher among uneducated elderly than those with higher education (31.9% vs. 17.3%); however, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases was higher among those with higher education (67.4% vs. 47.1%) than uneducated elderly. The odds of NCDs were higher among female elderly (OR=1.13; C.I. = 1-1.27) than their male counterparts. Similarly, the odds of CDs were lower among urban elderly (OR=0.70; C.I. = 0.62-0.81) than rural elderly, and odds of NCDs were higher among urban elderly (OR=1.85; C.I. = 1.62-2.10) than their rural counterparts. Results found that education (50%) contributes nearly half of the rural-urban inequality in the prevalence of CDs among the elderly. Education status and current working status were the two significant predictors of widening rural-urban inequality in the prevalence of NCDs among the elderly.Conclusion: The burden of both CD and NCD among the elderly population requires immediate intervention. The needs of men and women and urban and rural elderly must be addressed through appropriate effort. In a developing country like India, preventive measures, rather than curative measures of communicable diseases, will be cost-effective and helpful.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nianshi Wang ◽  
Ye Li ◽  
Meiyan Ma ◽  
Mingli Jiao ◽  
Qunhong Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND : Based on the health poverty alleviation policy, we explored whether the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) had effectively reduced the economic burden of the rural elderly population and impoverished vulnerable groups with regard to medical expenses, providing further evidence for increasing the medical insurance system. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The method was adapted from WHO to calculate the catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and impoverishment by medical expense (IME). The treatment effect model was used to identify the determinants of CHE in the rural elderly residents. RESULTS: The incidence of CHE in rural China for the elderly is 19.65%, and the impoverishment by medical expense has reached 6.94%. The households enrolled in NRCMS suffered higher CHE (21.9%) and IME (8.0%), than unenrolled households (20.6%, 7.7%). The NRCMS did not provide sufficient economic protection from CHE for households with 3 chronic diseases, inpatients, or adults over 65, Risk factors for CHE included education levels, households with inpatients, people over 65 years old, disabilities, and so on. CONCLUSIONS: Although the NRCMS had reduced barriers to the use of household health services while reducing their out of pocket payments, in some respects, it was still not effective to reduce the risk of residents falling into poverty. Our research identifies the characteristics of vulnerable groups that the NRCMS does not provide enough support for, and are at risk of falling into poverty through health impoverishment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azam David Saifullah ◽  
Nur Latifah ◽  
Eria Riski Artanti ◽  
Kadek Dewi Cahyani ◽  
Umi Rahayu ◽  
...  

Background: There is a higher prevalence of mental distress in rural areas compared to urban areas in Indonesia. The rural areas of Indonesia have various socio-demographic and sophisticated cultural characteristics, but less exposed to foreign cultures. Thus, the study about the prevalence, associated factors, and predictors of mental distress in rural areas is necessary.Purpose: This study aimed to identify the population's status and related factors of mental distress in rural areas in Indonesia.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to achieve the aims of the study. An Indonesian version of the Self-Rated Questionnaire, consisting of 20 items, was used to measure mental distress status of population in rural areas in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A number of 872 records were included and analyzed using both univariate and bivariate analyses in this study.Results: The prevalence of mental distress in this population was 6%. The correlated factors of mental distress were age (χ2=6.93, p=0.01), gender (χ2=0.07, p=0.03), occupation (χ2=0.26, p=0.02), housing dimension (χ2=5.45, p=0.02), and illness status (χ2=0.01, p<0.01).Conclusion: The prevalence of mental distress in rural areas of Indonesia is relatively lower than that of the national level. Future mental health programs may be focused on improving mental health on the elderly, male, vulnerable workers, overcrowded housing, and people who got a chronic illness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin Yang ◽  
Hui Deng ◽  
Qingqing Yang ◽  
Xianbin Ding ◽  
Deqiang Mao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background China has the largest elderly population in the world; little attention has been paid to the mental health of elderly in areas of extreme poverty. This is the first study to investigate the mental health of the rural elderly in poverty state counties in Chongqing and was part of the Chongqing 2018 health literacy promotion project. Methods In 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the mental health status of the rural elderly in fourteen poverty state counties of Chongqing, in which a total of 1400 elderly aged ≥ 65 years were interviewed, where mental health status was measured by the ten-item Kessler10 (K10) scale. Ordered multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the influencing factors related to mental health of the elderly in these areas. Results The average score of K10 in 14 poverty state counties was 17.40 ± 6.31, 47.6% was labeled as good, 30.2% was moderate, 17.0% was poor, and lastly 5.1% was bad, and the mental health status of the elderly in the northeastern wing of Chongqing was better than the one in the southeastern wing of Chongqing. A worse self-rated health was the risk factor for mental health both in the northeastern and southeastern wings of Chongqing (all P < 0.001). Lower education level (OR (95% CI) = 1.45 (1.12–1.87), P = 0.004) was a risk factor in the northeastern wing, whereas older age (OR (95% CI) = 1.33 (1.13–1.56), P = 0.001) was a risk factors in the southeastern wing. Conclusions The results showed that mental health of the elderly in poverty state counties was poor, especially in the southeastern wing of Chongqing. Particular attention needs to be paid to the males who were less educated, older, and single; female with lower annual per capital income; and especially the elderly with poor self-rated health.


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