Social Exclusion and Health Among Older Chinese in Shanghai: From the Social Determinants of Health Perspective
Date
2013-09-25
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
China is experiencing dramatic socio-economic transitions, in which older adults are facing increasing challenges related to social exclusion. Several gaps in the study of social exclusion remain: (a) limited knowledge about social exclusion in older age; (b) existing research on social exclusion and older adults is limited to Western countries, with little known about social exclusion experienced by older adults in Asia countries; (c) knowledge on the relationship between social exclusion and health status of older adults is scant. By adopting a social exclusion framework, this study examined the characteristics of social exclusion and its relationship to the health status of older Chinese in Shanghai, China.
Chinese citizens aged 60 years and older were identified through a multistage sampling procedure from three communities in Shanghai and completed a structured questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. Social exclusion was represented by the variables related to six domains: material resources, housing conditions, social relations, civic activities, basic services, and neighbourhood. Health status was measured by four health variables including number of chronic illnesses, self-rated general health, depression, and life satisfaction. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were used.
This study showed that the proportion of older adults reporting exclusion in the six domains ranges from 12% to 45%. Over a third (39%) of the respondents reported experiencing multiple exclusions. Being older, having a lower level of education, a lower level of self-perceived financial adequacy, living in the Jing An District, not being a member of the Communist Party, and living in poverty for a longer period of time were the most important factors that were significantly associated with one or more dimensions of social exclusion. The relationship between social exclusion and health status varied according to type of social
iii
exclusion and health variables. Multiple exclusions were significantly related to a higher number of chronic illnesses, depression, and unfavourable life satisfaction.
Despite some limitations, this study is an important addition to the literature on social exclusion in older adults and social determinants of health. This study calls for greater attention to social exclusion and its relationship on the health of older Chinese adults.
Description
Keywords
Social
Citation
Tong, H. (2013). Social Exclusion and Health Among Older Chinese in Shanghai: From the Social Determinants of Health Perspective (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27813