title: Self-rated health and associated factors among older people living alone in Shanghai.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Self-rated health is a reliable and important health measure related to older people's mortality and quality of life. Few studies regarding the self-rated health of older people living alone have been carried out in Mainland China. The present study aimed to investigate the self-rated health of older people living alone in Shanghai and its associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A stratified random cluster sample of 521 community-dwelling older people living alone in Shanghai completed structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. The data collected included self-rated health, physical health, depression, functional ability, physical activity, health services satisfaction, loneliness, social support and sociodemographic variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than two-fifths of the participants (43.2%) reported good self-rated health. Multinomial logistic regression analyses found that chronic disease, acute disease, functional ability, satisfaction with health services, depression and age were predictors of self-rated health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Identifying factors associated with the self-rated health of older people living alone could inform the delivery of appropriate health and social care interventions to promote older people's health.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Alison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: While
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hicks
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D011788:Quality of Life; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health / Q000208:ethnology*
keywords: China; aging; associated factors; living alone; self-rated health