School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Key Lab of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Key Lab of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Health Place. 2024 Jul;88:103259. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103259. Epub 2024 May 22.
There has been a plethora of studies on urbanization and older adults, and more recent ones on how older adults adapt to this process with their cognitive competence. Yet it has been unclear about the relationship between them, like how the level and rate of urbanization affect the cognitive function among older adults. This study sourced, formed, and analyzed a set of geospatial big datasets from different sources, such as the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) data, and the NPP/VIIRS nighttime light (NTL) data. Results showed a generally negative linear association between the rate of urbanization and cognitive performance among older adults in China. The "U" shaped non-linear relationship between urbanization level and cognitive function, as well as the tipping point, were identified. At the same time, it should be noted that mediators such as education, physical activity, social activity, and community elderly service might be able to mitigate these negative associations. Furthermore, older adults living in eastern regions or urban areas appeared to have better cognitive function than those living in mid-western regions or rural areas in China. The findings also pointed to the importance of focusing on older adults with poor cognitive health status in rapidly urbanizing areas.
关于城市化和老年人的研究已经很多了，最近的研究则关注老年人如何通过认知能力来适应这一过程。然而，它们之间的关系仍不清楚，例如城市化的水平和速度如何影响老年人的认知功能。本研究从不同来源（如中国长寿纵向研究（CLHLS）数据和 NPP/VIIRS 夜间灯光（NTL）数据）收集、形成和分析了一组地理空间大数据集。结果表明，中国城市化速度与老年人认知表现之间存在普遍的负线性关系。确定了城市化水平与认知功能之间的“U”型非线性关系和转折点。同时，应当注意，教育、体育活动、社会活动和社区老年人服务等中介因素可能能够缓解这些负面关联。此外，与居住在中国中西部地区或农村地区的老年人相比，居住在东部地区或城市地区的老年人的认知功能似乎更好。研究结果还指出，在快速城市化地区，关注认知健康状况较差的老年人至关重要。
