J Phys Act Health. 2018 Feb 1;15(2):150-158. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2017-0006. Epub 2017 Nov 25.
The purposes of this study were to (1) explore the influence of social capital and leisure-time physical activity on older adults' physical and mental health and (2) test whether these relationships varied by living arrangement.
This cross-sectional study used national data from the 2013 National Health Interview Study. The subjects included 7714 adults aged 65 years or older. Logistic regressions were used to predict the probability of subjects being overweight or obese. Ordinary linear regressions were performed to predict mental health outcomes.
Older adults living alone were more likely to report feeling sad (alone: 1.5; with others: 1.36), hopeless (alone: 1.25; with others: 1.18), and worthless (alone: 1.22; with others: 1.15). They were also more likely to experience lower levels of social support (alone: 3.24; with others: 3.30), trust (alone: 3.34; with others: 3.44), cohesion (alone: 2.95; with others: 2.98), and enjoy less leisure-time physical activity (alone: 49.85 min; with others: 64.64 min) than those living with others. Hispanic and divorced/separated older adults who lived alone were prioritized for health intervention.
Older adults living alone had poorer mental health, less social capital, and engaged in less frequent leisure-time physical activity. Promoting social capital could improve mental health in older adults living alone.
本研究旨在：(1) 探讨社会资本和闲暇时间体力活动对老年人身心健康的影响；(2) 检验这些关系是否因居住安排而异。
本横断面研究使用了 2013 年全国健康访谈研究的全国数据。研究对象包括 7714 名 65 岁及以上的成年人。使用逻辑回归预测受试者超重或肥胖的概率。进行普通线性回归以预测心理健康结果。
独居的老年人更有可能感到悲伤（独居：1.5；与他人同住：1.36）、绝望（独居：1.25；与他人同住：1.18）和无价值感（独居：1.22；与他人同住：1.15）。他们也更有可能获得较低水平的社会支持（独居：3.24；与他人同住：3.30）、信任（独居：3.34；与他人同住：3.44）、凝聚力（独居：2.95；与他人同住：2.98），并且参与较少的闲暇时间体力活动（独居：49.85 分钟；与他人同住：64.64 分钟），而独居的西班牙裔和离婚/分居老年人则需要优先进行健康干预。
独居的老年人心理健康状况较差，社会资本较少，闲暇时间体力活动较少。促进社会资本可以改善独居老年人的心理健康。
