Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia.
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 6;18(7):3831. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18073831.
Happiness is an essential component to experience healthy ageing. Hence, understanding the factors that contribute to happiness is important. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with happiness among the elderly population in Malaysia. In this study, 1204 respondents were recruited from urban and rural areas in Selangor. A face-to-face interview was conducted using the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study questionnaire. The inclusion criteria include Malaysians who are 60-years old and above and can converse in the Malaysian language. Those who encounter less than seven scores for the Abbreviated Mental Test were excluded from the study. Among the 1204 respondents, 953 (79.2%) were happy. Sociodemographic characteristics showed that being a men, age of 60 to 74 years, and living in urban areas were significantly associated with happiness. A logistic regression model showed that locality (aOR 1.61), income category (Bottom 40% aOR 0.49; Middle-class group 40% aOR 1.40), social engagement (active aOR 1.77; less active aOR 1.25), receiving emotional support (aOR 2.11) and handgrip strength (aOR 1.02) were significantly associated with happiness. Thus, ensuring the elderly population in receiving emotional support and active social engagement among them can enhance their happiness level.
幸福感是健康老龄化的重要组成部分。因此，了解幸福感的影响因素非常重要。本研究旨在确定马来西亚老年人幸福感的相关因素。本研究在雪兰莪州的城乡地区招募了 1204 名受访者。采用马来西亚语版的日本老年化社会生活研究问卷进行面对面访谈。纳入标准包括 60 岁及以上、能使用马来西亚语交流的马来西亚人。排除简易精神状态检查得分低于 7 分的人。在 1204 名受访者中，有 953 名（79.2%）感到幸福。社会人口统计学特征表明，男性、60 至 74 岁以及居住在城市地区与幸福感显著相关。逻辑回归模型显示，地理位置（优势比 1.61）、收入类别（垫底 40%，优势比 0.49；中产阶级组 40%，优势比 1.40）、社会参与度（活跃，优势比 1.77；不活跃，优势比 1.25）、获得情感支持（优势比 2.11）和握力（优势比 1.02）与幸福感显著相关。因此，确保老年人群体获得情感支持和积极的社会参与可以提高他们的幸福感水平。
