title: Social networks and health-related quality of life among Chinese old adults in urban areas: results from 4th National Household Health Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the associations between components of social networks and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in community-dwelling old adults in urban areas in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the 4th National Household Health Survey (NHHS) in China, conducted in 2008, were used. HRQoL of respondents aged ≥15 years was assessed using EQ-5D in the NHHS.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample for the current analysis included 9833 old adults aged ≥60 years. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between indicators of social network and HRQoL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 6% of the respondents saw their children once a year or less, and approximately 1% reported that they had no children. Thirteen percent of the sample seldom contacted their neighbours and seldom met with relatives or friends; approximately 62% seldom attended social gatherings. The five dimensions of HRQoL (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression) were reported to be moderate or severe in 14.5%, 9.4%, 12.6%, 18.3% and 9.3% of the sample, respectively. The mean visual analogue scale (VAS) score and EQ-5D index using the time trade-off method was 70.96 [standard deviation (SD) 14.79] and 0.869 (SD 0.163), respectively. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, old adults with weaker social networks were more likely to report problems on EQ-5D dimensions, lower VAS scores and lower EQ-5D indexes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For old adults living in urban communities in China, increased social participation has a positive effect on various dimensions of HRQoL. There is a need for policy considerations that will improve integration of community-level public resources in order to encourage frequent social interaction among old adults, and promote health and social care as a whole.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Medical Insurance Office, Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, People's Government of Xuhui District, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Statistics and Information, National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Nwaru
authors.affiliation: Global Health Research Centre, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education (Fudan University), Shanghai, China. Electronic address: zcwu@shmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D014504:Urban Health
keywords: China; EQ-5D; Health-related quality of life; Old adults; Social networks