The Associations and Correlations Between Self-reported Health and Neighborhood Cohesion and Disorder in a Community-dwelling U.S. Chinese Population.

Abstract

Characteristics of neighborhood have been found to be associated with physical and psychological health status of older adults, especially in relationship to social dynamics like cohesion and disorder. This study aims to examine correlations and associations between sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported health status, cohesion, and disorder among Chinese older adults in the greater Chicago area. The Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago is a cross-sectional, population-based study with community-dwelling Chinese older adults aged 60 and older, recruited through a community-based participatory research approach. Cohesion was measured through six questions; disorder was measured through eight questions. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted using SAS. Among 3,158 participants enrolled in the study, 92.3% reported any neighborhood cohesion; 69.8% reported any neighborhood disorder. After controlling for age, sex, education, income, marital status, living arrangement, number of children, years in the community, years in the United States, country of origin, language preference, and location, a higher level of cohesion is associated with higher quality of life (odds ratio [OR]: 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13, 1.39) and a higher level of disorder is associated with lower overall health status (OR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.95, 0.99) and lower quality of life (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.95, 0.98). Our findings suggest that neighborhood cohesion and neighborhood disorder are correlated to the health of U.S. Chinese older adults. Future longitudinal research should examine the relationship between community characteristics, both structural and social, and health-related outcomes.