Institute of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Fudan University.
School of Public Health, Georgia State University.
Biosci Trends. 2017 Nov 20;11(5):516-523. doi: 10.5582/bst.2017.01170. Epub 2017 Oct 11.
It has been hypothesized that subjective well-being (SWB) is determined by a combination of individual characteristics, social environment, and physical environment. However, few studies have simultaneously examined the relationships of the social and physical attributes of a neighborhood with SWB. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine these relationships among Chinese elders. A total of 2,719 elders aged 60 years or older were recruited from 47 neighborhoods in the Xinhua subdistrict of Shanghai by two-stage stratified random sampling and interviewed between July and September 2014. The social and physical attributes of each neighborhood were assessed using validated and psychometrically tested measures. The Chinese version of the international Personal Wellbeing Index was used to assess SWB. Control variables included sex, age, marital status, education level, years living in the neighborhood, self-rated health, chronic conditions, and leisure-time physical activity. Multilevel linear regression analysis was conducted to explore whether social and physical attributes were associated with SWB. The average level of SWB was 74.2 ± 15.7% of the scale maximum. After controlling for individual covariates, individual-level social cohesion and social interaction were positively correlated with SWB, and both individual-level and neighborhood-level aesthetic quality was positively correlated with SWB. In conclusion, both social and physical attributes of neighborhoods were associated with SWB among Chinese elderly. These findings suggest that creating aesthetic and cohesive neighborhoods may encourage Chinese elders to participate in social activities and promote their SWB.
有人假设，主观幸福感（SWB）是由个体特征、社会环境和物理环境共同决定的。然而，很少有研究同时考察邻里的社会和物理属性与 SWB 的关系。因此，本研究旨在探讨中国老年人中这些关系。2014 年 7 月至 9 月，通过两阶段分层随机抽样，从上海新华路街道的 47 个街区招募了 2719 名 60 岁或以上的老年人进行访谈。使用经过验证和心理测量测试的措施评估每个街区的社会和物理属性。使用国际个人幸福感指数的中文版本评估 SWB。控制变量包括性别、年龄、婚姻状况、教育水平、在社区居住年限、自评健康状况、慢性病和闲暇时间体力活动。采用多水平线性回归分析探讨社会和物理属性与 SWB 的关系。SWB 的平均水平为量表最大值的 74.2±15.7%。在控制个体协变量后，个体层面的社会凝聚力和社会互动与 SWB 呈正相关，个体层面和邻里层面的美学质量与 SWB 呈正相关。总之，邻里的社会和物理属性都与中国老年人的 SWB 有关。这些发现表明，创造美观且凝聚力强的邻里环境可能会鼓励中国老年人参与社会活动，提升他们的 SWB。
