Health Human Resources Research Center, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
BMC Geriatr. 2023 Mar 27;23(1):175. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-03892-4.
The social participation (SP) of the elderly is one of the factors that contribute to the improvement of their well-being. SP, one of the most important factors of active ageing, is mainly influenced by a number of facilitating or inhibiting factors.
This study aimed to identify the factors that prevent and facilitate the SP of the elderly population in Iran.
A cross-sectional study carried out in Shiraz, southern Iran in 2021. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. Shiraz is divided into 11 districts and the largest park in each district is selected for data gathering. The questionnaires were completed by 612 people aged over 60. Data were collected using the Canadian Elderly Survey Project scale and a health-related lifestyle questionnaire and were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and ANCOVA.
The mean SP score of the elderly in Shiraz was 24.2 out of 60, which is below the midpoint. The results of the covariance analysis revealed that the SP had a significant relationship with the experience of physician consultation, cost barriers, age, marital status, income level, and education level (P < 0.001). Moreover, the results of Pearson correlation revealed a significant correlation between SP and different dimensions of health-oriented activities (< 0.001).
This study revealed that the main barriers to older people's participation in health-related activities are cost and access barriers, such as transportation issues. Moreover, higher income level and higher educational attainment have been recognized as the main facilitators of SP in the elderly. In this regard, it can be suggested to apply a combination of health promotion strategies, financial support programs, and development of optimal transportation infrastructure to increase the SP of the elderly.
老年人的社会参与是提高其幸福感的因素之一。社会参与是积极老龄化的最重要因素之一，主要受到许多促进或阻碍因素的影响。
本研究旨在确定伊朗老年人社会参与的阻碍和促进因素。
这是一项 2021 年在伊朗南部设拉子进行的横断面研究。参与者采用便利抽样法选择。设拉子分为 11 个区，每个区最大的公园都被选作数据收集地点。问卷由 612 名 60 岁以上的人填写。使用加拿大老年人调查项目量表和与健康相关的生活方式问卷收集数据，采用 t 检验、方差分析、皮尔逊相关和协方差分析进行分析。
设拉子老年人的平均社会参与得分为 60 分中的 24.2 分，低于中点。协方差分析结果显示，社会参与与医生咨询经历、费用障碍、年龄、婚姻状况、收入水平和教育水平显著相关（P < 0.001）。此外，皮尔逊相关分析结果显示，社会参与与健康导向活动的不同维度显著相关（<0.001）。
本研究表明，老年人参与健康相关活动的主要障碍是费用和获得障碍，如交通问题。此外，较高的收入水平和较高的教育程度被认为是老年人社会参与的主要促进因素。在这方面，可以建议采用健康促进策略、财务支持计划和优化交通基础设施的发展相结合的方式，以提高老年人的社会参与度。
