Hierarchical Linear Model Approach to the Determinants of Activities of Daily Living of Chinese Oldest Old at Both Individual and Regional levels

Abstract

Abstract Based on the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey conducted in 2002, this paper uses hierarchical linear model (HLM) to make an approach to the possible determinants of activities of daily living (ADL) of Chinese oldest old (aged 80 and above) by combining both individual and provincial level factors. The descriptive analysis shows that there is a great differential in ADL by province among Chinese oldest old. The findings turn out that there does exist a significant differential in ADL between oldest old and young old, and that there is also a great differential in ADL by province among Chinese oldest old. The HLM demonstrates that comorbidity, age, cognitive impairment, visual impairment, and emotion could be the most important individual factors while natural environment, medical facilities, type of staple food and poverty rate in urban areas are the most significantly regional determinants of ADL of oldest old. The findings imply that future actions should not only be taken at indivi...