title: Social support and self-rated health revisited: is there a gender difference in later life?
abstract: This study examines the physical, behavioral, emotional and social determinants of self-rated health among Chinese older persons, and investigates if the effect of social support varies by gender. A representative sample of 1589 elderly community dwellers in Hong Kong were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Gender difference in the effect of social support was tested by an interaction term, 'gender x social support', in a hierarchical regression analysis. The frequency of falling ill, the number of chronic illnesses, sleep quality, mobility and positive emotions were most important determinants of self-rated health. The effect of social support was completely redundant when these factors were taken into account. The interaction term 'gender x social support' was significant and indicated a stronger effect for women, but the effect size was negligible (adding only 0.3% to the explained variance). This suggests that the effect of social support by and large is gender free. These findings suggest a high degree of similarity in the determinants of self-rated health between Western and Chinese older populations.
authors.affiliation: City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. tak.cheng@cityu.edu.hk
authors.forename: Sheung-Tak
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Alfred C M
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors