Associations between frailty, sociodemographic characteristics and quality-of-life among community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To explore the quality-of-life among community-dwelling older adults in China and to examine the associations between frailty, sociodemographic characteristics and quality-of-life. DESIGN: A cross-sectional correlational study was adopted. METHODS: Questionnaire study of 311 community-dwelling older adults using the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire and FRAIL scale. RESULTS: Highest quality-of-life was found for the physical symptoms factor and the lowest for quality of everyday activities/fun. Frailty was associated with total quality-of-life and the physical symptoms and sickness impact factors. For total quality-of-life, the odds of being in the group with a median score or more decreased for frail older people (OR 0.30) versus non-frail and increased for those with medical insurance from employer versus basic (OR 2.30) and those doing exercise ≥30 min 3 days/week or more versus less (OR 2.12). Registered nurses caring for community-dwelling older adults should screen for and prevent frailty and encourage exercise to improve their quality-of-life.

Quality of life of older people in nursing homes in China-evaluation and application of the Chinese version of the life satisfaction questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Chinese and global populations are aging, and more older people are living in nursing homes in China. However, there is a lack of research measuring nursing home residents' quality of life (QOL), and especially associations with nursing home types (publicly versus privately run). Therefore, this study aimed to determine the construct validity and internal consistency of the Chinese version of the life satisfaction questionnaire (LSQ-Chinese) and determine the associations between nursing home types (publicly versus privately run), residents' sociodemographic characteristics, and their QOL. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey measuring QOL among older people living in nursing homes was conducted (n = 419). Confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha were used to assess the construct validity and reliability of the LSQ-Chinese. In addition, multivariate regression analysis was used to examine these associations. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable goodness-of-fit statistics for the seven-factor LSQ solution. All factors and the total scale had good internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values > 0.70. The two factors with the highest QOL scores (higher scores indicate a more desirable state) were "physical symptoms" and "socioeconomic situation," and those with the lowest QOL scores were "quality of close-friend relationships" and "quality of daily activities fun". Residents living in privately run nursing homes had higher LSQ scores overall and for all factors except "physical symptoms" and "sickness impact" compared with publicly run nursing homes. Multivariate analyses indicated that marital status, number of chronic diseases, education level, main source of income, and nursing home type significantly contributed to the variance in the total LSQ scores. The associated sociodemographic variables differed between the factors, and the variable publicly versus privately run was significant for five of the seven factors. CONCLUSIONS: The LSQ is a suitable instrument for measuring the QOL of Chinese nursing home residents. The total LSQ score was higher among residents in privately run nursing homes than in publicly run ones. According to residents' needs, staff should work for person-centered activities, and facilitate residents' social interactions with friends, as both these aspects were scored relatively low.

Status and determinants of health behavior knowledge among the elderly in China: a community-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Limited studies are available on health behavior knowledge among the elderly and the interaction between the elderly and their children living with them. Using a survey of the elderly in the community and their children living with them, we explored the characteristics that determine health behavior knowledge. We also identified the influencing factors affecting such knowledge. The relationship between the health behavior knowledge of the elderly and that of their children was also investigated. METHODS: A total of 1207 elderly people were selected by multistage probability sampling (number of children of the elderly = 201). We used a self-designed behavior knowledge questionnaire (38 questions) to survey the participants. After the 38 questions were answered, the total score was determined. The group with adequate health behavior knowledge (score ≥ 24) and that with inadequate knowledge (score < 24) were distinguished by logistic regression to explain the influencing factors affecting health knowledge. RESULTS: On the basis of the responses to 38 questions in the survey, approximately 46.7% of elderly people were identified as having a good knowledge of health. Knowledge of the proper amount of certain foods and liquids as well as that of psychological disorder among the elderly recorded a low percentage at < 60%. Factors related to health behavior knowledge among the elderly were as follows educational attainment, past occupation, and location of residence. Participants who finished high school or higher had 6, 4, and 3 times greater odds of possessing adequate health knowledge than those who attained below primary school, primary school, and junior high school levels, respectively. Those with experience as administrative and technical personnel, workers, migrant workers, and farmers had 2.5, 2.3, 3.9, and 2.1 times greater odds of possessing adequate health knowledge, respectively, than those who were unemployed. Respondents living in the city had 3.7 times greater odds of possessing adequate health knowledge than those living in the countryside. In the stem family, the health knowledge of the elderly was significantly lower than that of their children (P < 0.001). However, the influence of their children's knowledge upper their elder's was relatively weak. CONCLUSION: The need to improve health behavior knowledge among the Chinese elderly remains high. Medical personnel in the community should provide health education related to proper diet and alcohol intake, as well as psychological health, particularly for those elderly who only reached primary school and below, used to be unemployed, and are living in rural areas. Children of stem families should be guided to enhance their health education and contribute to the health knowledge of their elderly parents.