title: Health status and associated factors among the community-dwelling elderly in China.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the health status and associated factors of the elderly Chinese population. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 849 elderly people aged 60 years and over living in a certain district of Nanjing, China. A health rating scale based on the characteristics of the elderly in China was used. The difference of self-rated health between different groups was tested using an ANOVA, and the associated factors were tested using an ordinal logistic regression. The results showed that the general health of the elderly Chinese people studied was not good. The scores of body function, self-care ability, and physical health decreased gradually with age. The scores of men were higher than those of women in terms of emotional personality. The factors associated with the health status of the elderly were education, living mode and marital status. The health status of the elderly Chinese and the associated factors highlighted in this study demonstrated that emotional and social support were more important than financial support for promoting the mental health of the elderly. These findings will provide a basis for the development of programmes promoting the health management and healthy ageing of the elderly in China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Insurance, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Jianqian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Yunyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yimin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors