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Association between Socioeconomic Status, Physical Health and Need for Long-Term Care among the Chinese Elderly

Author

Listed:
  • Fanlei Kong

    (NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan 250012, China)

  • Lingzhong Xu

    (NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan 250012, China
    Collaborative Innovation Center of Social Risks Governance in Health, School of Public health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China)

  • Mei Kong

    (Research Center of Economics and Resource Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Shixue Li

    (NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan 250012, China)

  • Chengchao Zhou

    (NHC Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan 250012, China)

  • Jianghua Zhang

    (School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China)

  • Bin Ai

    (School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), physical health and the need for long-term care (NLTC) of the Chinese elderly, and further, to provide evidence-based advice for establishing an LTC system in China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shandong Province, China in 2017 by using multi-stage random sampling method. Data were collected from elderly individuals aged 60 years and older by self-designed questionnaires through face-to face interviews. A total of 7070 participants were finally included in the database (40.3% male, 59.7% female). Chi-square test analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted to clarify the association between SES, physical health and NLTC among the Chinese elderly men and women in Shandong Province. The results of the SEM analysis showed that physical health exerted a strong and negative effect on the NLTC for both genders, with a slightly stronger effect found among the elderly men. SES was found to be significantly and negatively related to the NLTC among the elderly women, while no statistical significance was found for the association between SES and NLTC for elderly men. A significant and positive association between SES and physical health was observed among the elderly men and women, with a slightly stronger effect among the elderly women. Implications for lowering the NLTC and developing an LTC system were addressed based on the findings above.

Suggested Citation

  • Fanlei Kong & Lingzhong Xu & Mei Kong & Shixue Li & Chengchao Zhou & Jianghua Zhang & Bin Ai, 2019. "Association between Socioeconomic Status, Physical Health and Need for Long-Term Care among the Chinese Elderly," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-19, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:12:p:2124-:d:240215
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Wenjian Zhou & Jianming Hou & Meng Sun & Chang Wang, 2022. "The Impact of Family Socioeconomic Status on Elderly Health in China: Based on the Frailty Index," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Xiaodong Di & Lijian Wang & Xiuliang Dai & Liu Yang, 2020. "Assessing the Accessibility of Home-Based Healthcare Services for the Elderly: A Case from Shaanxi Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, September.

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