IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ijhplm/v36y2021i3p826-846.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The association mechanism between social network types and health‐related behaviours among the elderly in rural Hubei Province, China

Author

Listed:
  • Liping Ye
  • Xinping Zhang

Abstract

China's rural population ageing situation is extremely serious, and the social network has become a very important social and environmental factor to ensure the health. This study aims to explore the association mechanism between social network types and health‐related behaviours among the elderly in rural Hubei Province, China. A cross‐sectional cluster sample survey method was used to investigate elderly individuals aged 60 or older. The following three results were obtained: (1) the level of health‐related behaviours differed significantly depending on their social network types. The rural elderly embedded in restricted and family restricted networks had lower levels of health‐related behaviours than those in other networks, especially those in diverse networks; (2) Social network types were found to be significantly associated with health‐related behaviours, the perceived quality of social relationships and social support and (3) Social network types not only had a direct effect on health‐related behaviours (except for health‐seeking behaviour), but also an indirect effect through the mediating effects of the perceived quality of social relationships and social support. Policy makers should formulate relevant measures to improve unfavourable social network types of the rural elderly, thus promoting their health.

Suggested Citation

  • Liping Ye & Xinping Zhang, 2021. "The association mechanism between social network types and health‐related behaviours among the elderly in rural Hubei Province, China," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 826-846, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijhplm:v:36:y:2021:i:3:p:826-846
    DOI: 10.1002/hpm.3125
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3125
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/hpm.3125?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sohn, Sung Yun & Joo, Won-tak & Kim, Woo Jung & Kim, Se Joo & Youm, Yoosik & Kim, Hyeon Chang & Park, Yeong-Ran & Lee, Eun, 2017. "Social network types among older Korean adults: Associations with subjective health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 88-95.
    2. Li, Ting & Zhang, Yanlong, 2015. "Social network types and the health of older adults: Exploring reciprocal associations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 59-68.
    3. Shiovitz-Ezra, Sharon & Litwin, Howard, 2012. "Social network type and health-related behaviors: Evidence from an American national survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(5), pages 901-904.
    4. Katherine L. Fiori & Toni C. Antonucci & Kai S. Cortina, 2006. "Social Network Typologies and Mental Health Among Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(1), pages 25-32.
    5. Sherbourne, Cathy Donald & Stewart, Anita L., 1991. "The MOS social support survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 705-714, January.
    6. Berkman, Lisa F. & Glass, Thomas & Brissette, Ian & Seeman, Teresa E., 2000. "From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 843-857, September.
    7. Cho, Young Ik & Lee, Shoou-Yih D. & Arozullah, Ahsan M. & Crittenden, Kathleen S., 2008. "Effects of health literacy on health status and health service utilization amongst the elderly," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1809-1816, April.
    8. Devillanova, Carlo, 2008. "Social networks, information and health care utilization: Evidence from undocumented immigrants in Milan," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 265-286, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liping Ye & Xinping Zhang, 2019. "Social Network Types and Health among Older Adults in Rural China: The Mediating Role of Social Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Child, Stephanie T. & Lawton, Leora E., 2020. "Personal networks and associations with psychological distress among young and older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    3. Ann W. Nguyen, 2017. "Variations in Social Network Type Membership Among Older African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and Non-Hispanic Whites," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 72(4), pages 716-726.
    4. Li, Ting & Yang, Yang Claire & Zhang, Yanlong, 2018. "Culture, economic development, social-network type, and mortality: Evidence from Chinese older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 23-30.
    5. Keunbok Lee, 2021. "Different Discussion Partners and Their Effect on Depression among Older Adults," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-22, June.
    6. Francis, Jacinta & Wood, Lisa J. & Knuiman, Matthew & Giles-Corti, Billie, 2012. "Quality or quantity? Exploring the relationship between Public Open Space attributes and mental health in Perth, Western Australia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(10), pages 1570-1577.
    7. Vonneilich, Nico & Lüdecke, Daniel & von dem Knesebeck, Olaf, 2020. "Educational inequalities in self-rated health and social relationships – analyses based on the European Social Survey 2002-2016," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    8. Edmonds, Joyce K. & Hruschka, Daniel & Bernard, H. Russell & Sibley, Lynn, 2012. "Women’s social networks and birth attendant decisions: Application of the Network-Episode Model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 452-459.
    9. Goldman, Alyssa W. & Cornwell, Benjamin, 2015. "Social network bridging potential and the use of complementary and alternative medicine in later life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 69-80.
    10. Silvana Miceli & Laura Maniscalco & Domenica Matranga, 2019. "Social networks and social activities promote cognitive functioning in both concurrent and prospective time: evidence from the SHARE survey," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 145-154, June.
    11. Kyung-Won Choi & Gyeong-Suk Jeon, 2021. "Social Network Types and Depressive Symptoms among Older Korean Men and Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, October.
    12. Sónia Guadalupe & Henrique Testa Vicente, 2022. "Types of Personal Social Networks of Older Adults in Portugal," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 445-466, April.
    13. Haosen Sun & Markus Schafer, 2022. "Close ties, near and far away: patterns and predictors of geographic network range among older Europeans," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 699-716, September.
    14. Márcio Oliveira & José Oliveira & Ana Pinto Borges & João M. Lopes, 2021. "Social networks in the non-profit sector: Social support practices," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 18(4), pages 523-552, December.
    15. Sohn, Sung Yun & Joo, Won-tak & Kim, Woo Jung & Kim, Se Joo & Youm, Yoosik & Kim, Hyeon Chang & Park, Yeong-Ran & Lee, Eun, 2017. "Social network types among older Korean adults: Associations with subjective health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 88-95.
    16. Stein, Elizabeth R. & Smith, Bruce W., 2015. "Social support attenuates the harmful effects of stress in healthy adult women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 129-136.
    17. Giurgescu, Carmen & Misra, Dawn P. & Sealy-Jefferson, Shawnita & Caldwell, Cleopatra H. & Templin, Thomas N. & Slaughter- Acey, Jaime C. & Osypuk, Theresa L., 2015. "The impact of neighborhood quality, perceived stress, and social support on depressive symptoms during pregnancy in African American women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 172-180.
    18. Christoph Becker & Isadora Kirchmaier & Stefan T Trautmann, 2019. "Marriage, parenthood and social network: Subjective well-being and mental health in old age," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, July.
    19. Zhen Zhang & Jianxin Zhang, 2015. "Social Participation and Subjective Well-Being Among Retirees in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 143-160, August.
    20. Van Cauwenberg, Jelle & De Donder, Liesbeth & Clarys, Peter & De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse & Buffel, Tine & De Witte, Nico & Dury, Sarah & Verté, Dominique & Deforche, Benedicte, 2014. "Relationships between the perceived neighborhood social environment and walking for transportation among older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 23-30.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ijhplm:v:36:y:2021:i:3:p:826-846. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0749-6753 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.