School of Economics and Management, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang 43900, Selangor, Malaysia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 18;19(6):3595. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063595.
In Malaysia, the population of older adults will increase in the coming years. In this context, there is a requirement to build an age-friendly environment to enable the elderly to age healthily. Many studies have shown that a built environment that allows older adults to age in place improves their mental health. However, person-environment analysis that considers mental well-being has remained rare for older adults living in Malaysia. This study examines the relationship between Malaysian seniors' perceptions of their surroundings at home and in the neighborhood and their mental health. Using stratified sampling, 510 seniors aged 60 and over were interviewed. The results showed that accessibility (-value 0.033, 95% CI for coefficients 0.006, 0.146), environmental qualities (0.015, 0.014, 0.129) and neighborhood problems (0.000, -0.299, -0.146) were significant determinants of elderly people's mental health. With respect to respondents' socio-demographic characteristics, female elderly (0.000, 0.616, 0.782), older adults with an elementary education (0.000, 0.263, 0.685) or a college degree (0.026, 0.019, 0.294), being married (0.005, 0.047, 0.259), the ability to drive (0.000, 0.993, 1.315), the number of dependents in the family (0.003, -0.060, -0.012), and homeownership (0.000, -0.602, -0.271) were significantly related to mental well-being.
在马来西亚，未来几年老年人口将会增加。在这种情况下，需要建立一个适合老年人居住的环境，使老年人能够健康地老去。许多研究表明，一个允许老年人就地安度晚年的建筑环境可以改善他们的心理健康。然而，对于生活在马来西亚的老年人来说，考虑到心理健康的人与环境分析仍然很少。本研究考察了马来西亚老年人对家庭和邻里环境的感知与其心理健康之间的关系。研究采用分层抽样，对 510 名 60 岁及以上的老年人进行了访谈。结果表明，可达性（-值为 0.033，系数的 95%置信区间为 0.006，0.146）、环境质量（0.015，0.014，0.129）和邻里问题（0.000，-0.299，-0.146）是老年人心理健康的重要决定因素。就受访者的社会人口特征而言，女性老年人（0.000，0.616，0.782）、具有小学教育（0.000，0.263，0.685）或大专学历（0.026，0.019，0.294）的老年人、已婚老年人（0.005，0.047，0.259）、有驾驶能力的老年人（0.000，0.993，1.315）、家庭中依赖人数（0.003，-0.060，-0.012）和住房自有率（0.000，-0.602，-0.271）与心理健康显著相关。
