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Patterns of productive activity engagement among older adults in urban China

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  • Huiying Liu

    (University of Hong Kong)

  • Wei Qun Lou

    (University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

This study aims to identify patterns of productive activity engagement among older adults in urban China. Once patterns are identified, we further explore how a set of individual characteristics is associated with these patterns. Using data from the 2011 baseline survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we performed a latent class analysis (LCA) on a national representative sample of adults aged 60 years and over (N = 3019). A specified range of productive activity indicators that fit the context of urban China was used for performing LCA (including working, grandchildren’s care, parental care, spousal care, informal helping, and formal volunteering). A multinomial logistic regression was used to assess whether individual characteristics are associated with the identified patterns. The results indicated that a four-class model fit the data well, with the interpretable set of classes: spouse carer (51.2 %), working grandparents (21.7 %), multifaceted contributor (16.6 %), and light-engaged volunteer (10.5 %). Age, gender, education, number of children, proximity with the nearest child, household composition and functional status contributed to differentiating these classes. This study captured the reality of productive engagement among older adults by drawing attention to how multiple productive activities intersect in later-life stages. Our findings have implications for policy-makers, health care practitioners, and community advocates to develop programs that facilitate this aging population in assuming meaningful productive activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Huiying Liu & Wei Qun Lou, 2016. "Patterns of productive activity engagement among older adults in urban China," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 361-372, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:13:y:2016:i:4:d:10.1007_s10433-016-0387-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-016-0387-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Luo, Ye & Pan, Xi & Zhang, Zhenmei, 2019. "Productive activities and cognitive decline among older adults in China: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 96-105.
    2. Ko, Pei-Chun & Yeung, Wei-Jun Jean, 2019. "Childhood conditions and productive aging in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 60-69.
    3. Gustafsson Björn & Nivorozhkina Ludmila & Wan Haiyuan, 2021. "Working beyond the normal retirement age in urban China and urban Russia," IZA Journal of Development and Migration, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, January.
    4. Yungsoo Lee, 2021. "Activity Profiles among Older Adults: Latent Class Analysis Using the Korean Time Use Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Gustafsson, Björn Anders & Nivorozhkina, Ludmila & Wan, Haiyuan, 2021. "Working Beyond the Normal Retirement Age in Urban China and Urban Russia," IZA Discussion Papers 14294, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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