Factors associated with active aging in Chinese elderly in rural areas of Xiangtan County, China†
Abstract
Objectives
To explore the level of active aging and correlates among rural elderly in Xiangtan County, China.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to November 2019. A total of 945 rural elderly from 3 towns in Xiangtan County, China, were investigated by using the positive aging evaluation questionnaire (PAEQ), the activity of daily living scale (ADL), and the depression in old-age scale (DIA-S).
Results
The average score in the PAEQ among the rural elderly of Xiangtan County was 72.81 (range = 21–105). A moderate negative correlation was found between the score in the PAEQ and those in the ADL (r = −0.361) and DIA-S (r = −0.495). Symptoms of depression (β: −0.321, P = 0.001), number of chronic diseases (β: −0.281, P = 0.001), subjective economic status (β: 0.239, P = 0.001), ADL (β: −0.196, P = 0.001), education (β: 0.126, P = 0.001), number of children (β: 0.097, P = 0.001), and marital status (β: −0.060, P = 0.001) were significantly associated with levels of active aging in rural elderly, whereas gender and age were not independently related to active aging.
Conclusions
The level of active aging is at a moderately high level in the Chinese elderly in rural areas in Xiangtan County. The focus group of active aging in rural areas should be elderly people suffering from chronic diseases, physical decline, poor education and economic conditions, childlessness, and those without partners.
© 2021 Xue-Lian Fu, Jian-Guang Li, Yin-Li Su, Hong-Hong Wang, Yang Guo, Li-Qiong Liu, Chun-Yan Zeng, published by Shanxi Medical Periodical Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.