School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
Suzhou University, Suzhou 234000, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 7;18(14):7283. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147283.
The aging population in rural areas of China faces serious challenges due to urban-rural disparities. In order to improve the active aging of rural older adults, the establishment of age-friendly communities is encouraged. However, globally, the focus is on age-friendly communities in urban areas, not reflecting rural communities. Hence, we addressed the importance of age-friendly rural communities (AFRCs) and aimed to investigate their impact on the quality of life (QoL) of older adults. We examined different perceptions of AFRCs among older adults (aged over 60) and middle-aged people (45-60) in rural communities with questionnaire surveys ( = 470 and 393, respectively). Several statistical methods, such as Chi-squared test, -test, reliability test, and multiple regression, were adopted to investigate and compare the perceptions of these two. The results indicated that (1) middle-aged people were more satisfied with AFRC components and had a higher QoL than older adults; (2) the QoL of middle-aged people was predicted by housing, accessibility, and outdoor spaces; (3) the QoL of older adults was affected by housing, outdoor spaces, social participation, and public transportation. These findings aid in our understanding of rural communities and the QoL of rural residents. They are helpful for urban planners and policymakers to improve the planning of AFRCs and supplement research on age-friendly communities in rural areas. Practical implementations are proposed for the planning of AFRCs, such as the passive design of residential housing, grouping of community facilities together, and improvement in the hygiene of outdoor spaces in rural areas.
中国农村地区的老龄化人口由于城乡差距而面临严峻挑战。为了提高农村老年人的积极老龄化水平，鼓励建立老年友好型社区。然而，全球范围内的重点是城市地区的老年友好型社区，而不是农村社区。因此，我们强调了老年友好型农村社区（AFRCs）的重要性，并旨在研究其对农村老年人生活质量（QoL）的影响。我们通过问卷调查（分别为 470 名和 393 名 60 岁以上的老年人和 45-60 岁的中年人）研究了农村社区中老年人和中年人的不同老年友好型社区观念。采用卡方检验、t 检验、可靠性检验和多元回归等多种统计方法来调查和比较这两组人的观念。结果表明：（1）中年人对 AFRC 组成部分的满意度更高，生活质量也高于老年人；（2）中年人的生活质量由住房、可达性和户外空间来预测；（3）老年人的生活质量受到住房、户外空间、社会参与和公共交通的影响。这些发现有助于我们了解农村社区和农村居民的生活质量。它们有助于城市规划者和政策制定者改善老年友好型社区的规划，并补充农村地区老年友好型社区的研究。提出了 AFRC 规划的实际实施措施，例如住宅的被动式设计、社区设施的分组以及改善农村户外空间的卫生条件。
