Age-friendly environments and depressive symptoms among Korean adults: The mediating effects of loneliness

Examining dynamic developmental trends: the interrelationship between age-friendly environments and healthy aging in the Chinese population-evidence from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, 2011-2018

BACKGROUND

The objective of this research is to investigate the dynamic developmental trends between Age-Friendly Environments (AFE) and healthy aging in the Chinese population.

METHODS

This study focused on a sample of 11,770 participants from the CHARLS and utilized the ATHLOS Healthy Aging Index to assess the level of healthy aging among the Chinese population. Linear mixed model (LMM) was used to explore the relationship between AFE and healthy aging. Furthermore, a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) were used to examine the dynamic developmental trends of healthy aging, taking into account both Between-Person effects and Within-Person effects.

RESULTS

The results from LMM showed a positive correlation between AFE and healthy aging (β = 0.087, p < 0.001). There was a positive interaction between the geographic distribution and AFE (central region * AFE: β = 0.031, p = 0.038; eastern region * AFE: β = 0.048, p = 0.003). In CLPM and RI-CLPM, the positive effect of healthy aging on AFE is a type of Between-Person effects (β ranges from 0.147 to 0.159, p < 0.001), while the positive effect of AFE on healthy aging is Within-Person effects (β ranges from 0.021 to 0.024, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Firstly, individuals with high levels of healthy aging are more inclined to actively participate in the development of appropriate AFE compared to those with low levels of healthy aging. Furthermore, by encouraging and guiding individuals to engage in activities that contribute to building appropriate AFE, can elevate their AFE levels beyond the previous average level, thereby improving their future healthy aging levels. Lastly, addressing vulnerable groups by reducing disparities and meeting their health needs effectively is crucial for fostering healthy aging in these populations.

The dark side of social capital: Geographic differences in COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults in South Korea

AIM

The present study examined whether geographic location (i.e., rural vs. urban areas) moderated the relationship between social capital and COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults in South Korea.

METHODS

Participants were a nationally representative sample of 61 075 Korean adults aged 65 years or older from the 2021 Community Health Survey by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The moderation analysis was conducted with PROCESS.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, the moderation analysis showed a significant moderation effect of geographic location on the relationship between social capital and COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults in South Korea. Specifically, in urban areas, older adults with higher social capital were more likely to adhere to COVID-19 preventive behaviors. However, social capital negatively impacted older adults' COVID-19 preventive behaviors in rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that social capital is not always helpful for maintaining COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults in South Korea. The social characteristics of geographic location need to be considered when initiating COVID-19 prevention campaigns in South Korea. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 377-384.

Social-ecological factors influencing loneliness and social isolation in older people: a scoping review

There are growing calls from researchers and policy makers to redefine loneliness and social isolation (SI) as public health issues, and to move towards a transdisciplinary, systems-based approach, due to their association with significant health risks, particularly in older people. Research about loneliness and SI in older people has typically adopted a narrow focus, evaluating effects of individual and inter-personal factors on these experiences. Less is known about the community and societal influences that may be used to inform public health interventions. We conducted a scoping review applying Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the social-ecological model framework in order to: i) identify the available evidence for the influence of the community and societal factors on loneliness and SI as experienced by older people; ii) examine how quantitative research about community- and societal-level factors of loneliness and SI in the older population is conducted; and iii) identify current knowledge gaps in relation to the use of the social-ecological model in this area. A total of 52 articles from 30 countries met the inclusion criteria, including 33 observational studies, primarily cross-sectional (88%), and 19 interventions, mostly (89%) pre-post evaluations. The majority of included articles measured loneliness only (n = 34, 65%), while 11 measured both loneliness and SI (21%). To measure these outcomes validated scales were frequently used. Eighteen community/societal factors were investigated in relation to loneliness and/or SI, most commonly neighbourhood safety, access to public third-places and cultural practices. Three societal-level interventions were found: two campaigns to reduce ageism and one which explored the impact of free public transport. Community-based interventions were either educational or enlisted volunteers to foster connections. There is a need for longitudinal studies to better understand the mechanisms through which community- and societal- level factors affect loneliness and SI, which in turn will guide interventions that utilise the social-ecological framework for these issues.

WITHDRAWN: Associations between family support, loneliness, and underlying depression among children and adolescents in the China family panel studies: A mediation analysis

This article has been withdrawn: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor and publisher. The publisher regrets that an error occurred which led to the premature publication of this paper. This error bears no reflection on the article or its authors. The publisher apologizes to the authors and the readers for this unfortunate error.

Age-friendly environment, social support, sense of community, and loneliness among middle-aged and older adults in Korea

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between age-friendly environment, social support, sense of community, and loneliness of Korean adults aged 45 and above.

METHODS

A total of 590 participants from a cross-sectional and secondary data from an age integration survey conducted in 2018 was used for analysis. Structural equation modelling and bootstrapping method were applied to examine the mediating role of social support and sense of community on the relationship between age-friendly environment and loneliness.

RESULTS

Age-friendly environment was positively associated with social support (β=.310, p<.001) and sense of community (β=.479, p<.001). Social support was negatively associated with loneliness (β=-.190, p<.001). Full mediation effect of social support was observed in the pathway from age-friendly environment to loneliness (95% CI: -0.135 to -0.036).

CONCLUSION

Social support was fundamental in lowering loneliness in an age-friendly environment. There was no significant association linking age-friendly environment, sense of community, and loneliness. The results support the adoption of AFE to protect people at risk of loneliness with social support mediating this relationship.

Cumulative exposure to poor housing conditions and psychological well-being: Does the relationship differ for young and middle-aged adults and older adults?

OBJECTIVES

This study examined whether cumulative exposure to poor housing conditions is negatively associated with psychological well-being, and whether this association varies by age.

METHODS

Using fifteen waves of the Korean Welfare Panel Study between 2005 and 2019 (118,500 person-observations), this study employed fixed-effects regression models to account for unobserved individual-level heterogeneity. Exposure to poor housing conditions ranged from 1 to more than 5 annual waves. To formally test for age heterogeneity, interactive models were estimated.

RESULTS

The trajectories of change in psychological well-being associated with cumulative exposure to poor housing conditions were different between young and middle-aged adults and older adults. Among young and middle-aged adults, the levels of depressive symptoms increased in the first year of exposure but remained at a similar level since then. In contrast, with the persistence of poor housing conditions, older adults continued to develop greater depressive symptoms over time. Similar age differences were found for life satisfaction. As exposure to poor housing conditions accumulated, life satisfaction persistently declined among older adults, but not young and middle-aged adults.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that cumulative exposure to poor housing conditions has more adverse psychological consequences for older adults than young and middle-aged adults.

Association between Age-Friendliness of Communities and Frailty among Older Adults: A Multilevel Analysis

An age-friendly environment is one of the measures of healthy aging. However, there is scarce evidence of the relationship between the age-friendliness of communities (AFC) and frailty status among Chinese older adults. This study aims to examine this relationship using a multilevel analysis with the data of a cross-sectional study conducted among 10,958 older adults living in 43 communities in four cities in China. The validated Age-friendly Community Evaluation Scale and Chinese frailty screening-10 Scale (CFS-10) were used to measure AFC and Frailty. Multilevel regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between the AFC in two assessments of individual- and community-level and frailty status. After controlling for individual-level socio-demographic, health status, and lifestyle variables, compared with older adults in the lowest quartile of the individual-level perception of AFC, the frailty odds ratios for those in the top three quartiles were 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.56–0.83), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.61–0.91), and 0.56 (95% CI: 0.48–0.74). However, there was no association between the community-level AFC and frailty. A higher level of age-friendliness in the community is associated with lower frailty odds. Therefore, building age-friendly communities may be an important measure to prevent frailty among Chinese older adults.

OUP accepted manuscript

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between age-friendliness of a city, loneliness and depression moderated by internet use among older people during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The survey was from ‘The 2020 Survey of Needs Assessment for a Safe Community and Age-Friendly City’ in Xinyi District, Taipei, which was conducted by face-to-face interviews with community-based older adults who were aged 65 and above from one district of Taipei City from May to June 2020 (n = 335). Partial least square structural equation modeling and the SPSS PROCESS macro were used for data analysis. Two domains of an age-friendly city (housing and community support and health services) were found to be associated with reduced loneliness, while one (respect and social inclusion) was associated with decreased depression. The age-friendliness of cities mitigates depression through moderator (internet use) and mediation (loneliness) mechanisms. Although some age-friendly domains of the city reduced loneliness and depression directly, the age-friendliness–loneliness-depression mechanism held true only for older adults who used the internet and not for nonusers. Maintaining the age-friendliness of an environment is beneficial to mental health, and internet use is a necessary condition to gain optimum benefits from age-friendly initiatives. Policy suggestions are discussed.