Abstract
BackgroundHealth behaviours (physical activity, maintenance of a healthy diet and not smoking) are known to be beneficial to the health and well-being of chronically ill people. With China’s ageing population and increased prevalence of people with chronic diseases, the improvement of unhealthy behaviours in this population has become crucial. Although recent studies have highlighted the importance of social participation for health and quality of life (QoL) among older people, no study to date has included social participation along with more traditional health behaviours. Therefore, this study aimed to identify associations of multiple health behaviours (social participation, physical activity, maintenance of a healthy diet and not smoking) with health and QoL outcomes (including cognitive and physical function) among chronically ill older adults in China.MethodsFor this nationally representative cross-sectional study, wave 1 data from the World Health Organization’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (China) were examined. In total, 6629 community-dwelling older adults (mean age, 64.9 years) with at least one chronic disease were included. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to evaluate associations of health behaviours with health and QoL outcomes while controlling for background characteristics.ResultsGreater social participation was associated with better QoL [β = 0.127, standard error (SE) = 0.002, p < 0.001], cognitive function (β = 0.154, SE = 0.033, p < 0.001) and physical function (β = − 0.102, SE = 0.008, p < 0.001). Physical activity was associated with better QoL (β = 0.091, SE = 0.015, p < 0.001) and physical function (β = − 0.155, SE = 0.062, p < 0.001). Sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with better QoL (β = 0.087, SE = 0.015, p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that social participation is an important health behaviour for quality of life and cognitive function among chronically ill older people in China. Health promotion programmes should expand their focus to include social participation as a health behaviour, in addition to physical activity, maintenance of a healthy diet and not smoking.
Highlights
Health behaviours are known to be beneficial to the health and well-being of chronically ill people
A five-stage cluster sampling strategy was used to select participants, who were contacted by telephone or in person, and about 200 investigators were involved in wave 1 data collection via face-to-face interviews between 2008 and 2010 [34]
We examined the associations of social participation and traditional health behaviours with quality of life and health outcomes among chronically ill older people in China
Summary
Health behaviours (physical activity, maintenance of a healthy diet and not smoking) are known to be beneficial to the health and well-being of chronically ill people. This study aimed to identify associations of multiple health behaviours (social participation, physical activity, maintenance of a healthy diet and not smoking) with health and QoL outcomes (including cognitive and physical function) among chronically ill older adults in China. At the end of 2018, the population of China included more than 249.49 million (about 17.9%) people aged ≥60 years [5]. The identification of modifiable factors to prevent the deterioration of health and quality of life among chronically ill older adults is crucial in a time of ageing societies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
