Social Network Types, Health, and Health-Care Use Among South Korean Older Adults

Older people's health promotion policies challenges: Making an avenue for policy responses in a developing country

BACKGROUND

Older people's health policies suffer from many challenges in Iran. The issue is more highlighted considering the increasing rate of the older population in the country. This study aimed to explore the challenges of older people's health policies in Iran as well as make an avenue for policy responses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was a qualitative study that was conducted using conventional content analysis in 2020-2021 in Iran. The purposive and snowball sampling methods were used for semi-structured interviews with 30 selected participants. Data were analyzed through the content analysis approach using Granheim and Landman's five-step thematic method.

RESULTS

The results of analyzing the data were categorized into four main themes, 16 sub-themes, and 70 final codes. The main themes were executive, policymaking, intra- and inter-sectoral, and environmental challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

Older people are facing challenges in receiving appropriate and timely care. In order to achieve a wide national policy dialogue for covering all older people's health needs in policy agendas and better formulation and implementation of the policies, it is necessary for Iranian health policymakers to address executive challenges and apply effective strategies.

Examining the social networks of older adults receiving informal or formal care: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To address the care needs of older adults, it is important to identify and understand the forms of care support older adults received. This systematic review aims to examine the social networks of older adults receiving informal or formal care and the factors that influenced their networks.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted by searching six databases from inception to January 31, 2023. The review included primary studies focusing on older adults receiving long-term care, encompassing both informal and formal care. To assess the risk of bias in the included studies, validated appraisal tools specifically designed for different study types were utilized. Network analysis was employed to identify the grouping of study concepts, which subsequently formed the foundation for describing themes through narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

We identified 121 studies relating to the formal and informal care of older adults' networks. A variety of social ties were examined by included studies. The most commonly examined sources of care support were family members (such as children and spouses) and friends. Several factors were consistently reported to influence the provision of informal care, including the intensity of networks, reciprocity, and geographical proximity. In terms of formal care utilization, older age and poor health status were found to be associated with increased use of healthcare services. Additionally, physical limitations and cognitive impairment were identified as factors contributing to decreased social engagement.

CONCLUSION

This review found that older people were embedded within a diverse network. The findings of this review emphasize the importance of recognizing and incorporating the diversity of social networks in care plans and policies to enhance the effectiveness of interventions and improve the overall well-being of older adults.

Mapping Protective Performance of Social Network Types on Health and Quality of Life in Older People in European Regions

Objectives: To identify social network profiles using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), to study the relationships of these profiles with health markers, mental health, quality of life, and cognitive functioning, and to compare profiles across European regions. Methods: 27,272 participants from the Wave 8 of the SHARE project, aged 65 or older (M = 74.95, SD = 7.17) from Europe. Statistical analyses included LPAs followed by MANOVAs to compare the profiles and the health markers. Results: Five profiles were identified: family, friends, spouse, diverse, and others. A no network group was also added. The prevalence of the specific profiles differed across European regions. Individuals with no network and those categorized into the others profile presented the worst health outcomes. Discussion: The “friends” network is more protective toward cognitive functioning and physical health and the “spouse” and “family” ones are more protective toward mental health. The variability according to European regions is discussed.

Social isolation and health-promoting behaviors among older adults living with different health statuses: A cross-sectional study

Objectives

To describe the characteristics and relationships of social isolation and health promoting behaviors of Chinese older adults with different health statuses.

Methods

Totally 485 older adults were recruited. They were divided into three groups based on their health status: healthy group (n = 72), group with one disease (n = 183) and group with multimorbidity (n = 230). Lubben Social Network Scale-6 and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II were used to measure their social isolation and health-promoting behaviors, respectively.

Results

Among the aged with one disease or multimorbidity, 30.6% (56/183) and 31.7% (73/230) were socially isolated, respectively, based on the score of the Lubben Social Network Scale-6. The three groups differed significantly in health-promoting behaviors and scores on several subscales. The group with multimorbidity exhibited more social isolation and fewer health-promoting behaviors than other groups. Social isolation was among the factors adversely affecting health-promoting behaviors in older adults.

Conclusions

Health care providers should help older adults with multimorbidity preserve the remaining abilities to improve health-promoting behaviors. Meanwhile, it is important to support healthy older adults to increase self-responsibility to achieve healthy aging.

Examining the Family Support Role of Older Hispanics, African Americans, and Non-Hispanic Whites and Their Breast Cancer Screening Behaviors

Disparities in breast cancer mortality rates among older Black and Hispanic women are due in part to low participation in cancer screening. Participation in cancer screening could be affected by an array of factors, including social support. Understanding the complex interplay between social support and breast cancer screening among older female adults, specifically among groups with higher mortality rates, is extremely important for timely and appropriate interventions to increase survival rates. Thus, utilizing the social network theory as the conceptual framework, this study aims to examine effects of social support on receiving a mammogram among a representative sample of older adults, specifically African American and Hispanic populations in the United States. Logistic regression models were conducted using the 2008 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study data. Findings from this study indicate that specific aspects of social support influence breast cancer screening participation among older Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women. However, this was not the case for the older Black women after adjusting for the sociodemographic factors. Given the role that family members play in the care of older adults, it is critical that social workers consider both the possible positive and negative interactions older women may have and how these interactions may affect their cancer screening behaviors. Findings can provide formative data to develop public health and social work interventions to increase positive social support and reduce negative social support by spouses and children to enhance breast cancer screening among older adults.

Social support network, social support, self-efficacy, health-promoting behavior and healthy aging among older adults: A pathway analysis

AIMS

To determine the pattern of relationships among social support network, social support, self-efficacy, health-promoting behavior and healthy aging in older adults.

METHODS

Totally, 485 community-dwelling participants aged 60 years and older were recruited from four districts of Beijing, China. Data were obtained from July to November, 2017 using a questionnaire containing general information items, the Lubben Social Network Scale-18, the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey-Chinese version, the Self-rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II and a Healthy Aging Instrument. Path analysis was applied to examine the pattern of relationships between one's social support network and healthy aging.

RESULTS

The influence of a neighbor network on healthy aging was stronger than that of a family and friend network. Friend network had greater impact than family network on health-promoting behavior and self-efficacy. However, support from family members had a stronger effect than friend support and neighbor support on health-promoting behavior, self-efficacy and healthy aging. Furthermore, the finding revealed that self-efficacy had the stronger effect on healthy aging than that of health-promoting behavior.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate that one's social support network plays an important role in promoting healthy aging. In China, medical and human resources for community healthcare systems are often limited. We propose that community nurses, as the "gatekeepers" to the healthcare system, should actively collaborate with older adults' social network resources to promote healthy aging. Moreover, nurses should develop efficient programs which focus on the ways of improving self-efficacy.

Personal Network Analysis in the Study of Social Support: The Case of Chronic Pain

In the context of chronic illness, the individual's social and relational environment plays a critical role as it can provide the informal support and care over time, beyond healthcare and social welfare institutions. Social Network Analysis represents an appropriate theoretical and methodological approach to study and understand social support since it provides measures of personal network structure, composition and functional content. The aim of this mixed method study is to present the usefulness of Personal Network Analysis to explore social support in the context of chronic pain. Personal and support network data of 30 people with chronic pain (20 alters for each ego, 600 relationships in total) were collected, obtaining measures of personal network structure and composition as well as information about social support characteristics. Also, semi-structured interviews with participants were conducted to identify the context of their experience of pain, their limitations as regards leading an autonomous life, their social support needs and other aspects concerning the effect of pain on their social and relational lives. This approach shows the importance of non-kin social support providers and the significant role of non-providers in the personal networks of people suffering chronic pain.