Determinants of life satisfaction in older adults with diabetes in China: a national cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

The life satisfaction (LS) of individuals among older adults with diabetes should not be neglected. However, current research provides limited insight into the LS of older adults with diabetes in China. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to assess the current life satisfaction status of older adults with diabetes in China, to delve into the factors influencing it, and to identify the key factors.

METHODS

This study selected 1,304 patients with diabetes from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) database for analysis. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors influencing life satisfaction among diabetic patients, and a random forest model was further utilized to rank the importance of significant influencing factors.

RESULTS

30.14% of older adults with diabetes were dissatisfied with their lives. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis shows that self-assessed health status, self-assessed economic status, depressive symptoms, exercise, living arrangements, hearing impairment, and cognitive impairment all significantly affect the life satisfaction of older adults with diabetics. The OR values for self-assessed health and self-assessed economic status are relatively high, patients with fair and poor self-assessed health was 5.03 times and 9.72 times higher risk of life dissatisfaction compared to those with good self-assessed health (fair: OR = 5.03, 95% CI: 3.46-7.31; poor: OR = 9.72, 95% CI: 6.20-15.26). The risk of feeling dissatisfied with life was 7.69 times higher in patients with poor self-assessed economic status than in those with good self-assessed economic status (OR = 7.69, 95%CI: 4.25-13.89). The random forest results showed that the order of importance from highest to lowest was self-assessed health status, self-assessed economic status, depressive symptoms, exercise, living arrangements, hearing impairment, and cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSION

Our study reveals that the current rate of life satisfaction among older adults with diabetes is significantly high. Therefore, it is essential to implement measures from multiple perspectives for effective prevention and intervention. Among these factors, priority should be given to interventions focusing on economic support and health management, as these measures may serve as crucial protective factors in enhancing the well-being of older adults with diabetes.