Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Persiaran Multimedia, Cyberjaya, Selangor, 63100, Malaysia.
Faculty of Business, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, Bukit Beruang, Melaka, 75450, Malaysia.
F1000Res. 2021 Sep 22;10:955. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.73032.1. eCollection 2021.
The increase in aged populations in Malaysia has brought unprecedented challenges to families, policy makers, scholars, and business organisations. This paper adapted the WHO 2007 framework of features of age-friendly cities to examine age-friendly environment constructs and their linkages with social connectedness from the perspective of Malaysian middle-aged and older adults caring for themselves. A face-to-face cross-sectional survey was conducted on 402 middle-aged and older adults caring for themselves across selected states in west Malaysia, selected via purposive sampling. Firstly, features of age-friendly cities were explored through exploratory factor analysis involving 82 respondents. Subsequently, structural equation modelling was performed, involving 320 respondents. The results indicated that the constructs of an age-friendly environment were built environment, community support and health services, civic participation, and employment as well as communication and information. The structural model provided evidence that implementing age-friendly initiatives relating to built environment, community support and health services, civic participation and employment as well as communication and information enables the ageing population to improve their connectedness with society. These findings supported the ecological theories, agreeing that age-friendly environments help middle-aged and older adults caring for themselves to increase their adaptability and reduce perceived pressure from the environment. This result was in line with the current literature in which an age-friendly environment is a form of support and an enabling environment to cultivate positive social relationships and connectivity. Creating an age-friendly environment that supports active and healthy living for middle-aged and older adults caring for themselves allows them to continue to share their experiences, knowledge, and wisdom. This is helpful and beneficial for societal well-being and economic development as well as for the future generations.
马来西亚人口老龄化的增加给家庭、政策制定者、学者和商业组织带来了前所未有的挑战。本文采用世界卫生组织 2007 年的框架，从马来西亚中年和老年人照顾自己的角度，研究了友好环境的构建及其与社会联系的关系。通过在马来西亚西部的选定州，采用目的抽样方法，对 402 名照顾自己的中年和老年人进行了面对面的横断面调查。首先，通过涉及 82 名受访者的探索性因素分析，探讨了友好城市的特征。随后，对 320 名受访者进行了结构方程建模。结果表明，友好环境的构建包括建筑环境、社区支持和卫生服务、公民参与以及就业以及沟通和信息。结构模型提供了证据，表明实施与建筑环境、社区支持和卫生服务、公民参与以及就业以及沟通和信息相关的友好举措，使老年人口能够改善他们与社会的联系。这些发现支持了生态理论，即友好的环境有助于照顾自己的中年和老年人提高适应性，减少来自环境的感知压力。这一结果与当前的文献一致，即友好的环境是一种支持和有利的环境，可以培养积极的社会关系和联系。为照顾自己的中年和老年人创造一个支持积极和健康生活的友好环境，使他们能够继续分享他们的经验、知识和智慧。这对社会福祉和经济发展以及子孙后代都是有益的。
