The Enigma of Gender Differences in an Environment-Behavior-Health Model of Elderly People: The Choice Between Individually and Sociality
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Research Hypothesis
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. The Selection of the Communities and the Elderly Participants
3.2. The Health and Activity Ability of Elderly People and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
3.3. Outdoor Environment
3.4. Behavior of Elderly People
3.5. Control Variables
3.6. Statistical Analyses
4. Results
4.1. Gender Differences in the Variables
4.2. Gender Differences in the Variables
4.3. Gender Differences in the Relationships between the Environment, Behavior, and Activity Ability
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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GFI | AGFI | IFI | CFI | RMSEA | X2/DF | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre-optimization model | 0.819 | 0.798 | 0.843 | 0.842 | 0.059 | 6.237 |
Post-optimization model | 0.907 | 0.904 | 0.925 | 0.924 | 0.037 | 2.568 |
Ideal standard | >0.9 | >0.9 | >0.9 | >0.9 | <0.08 | <5 |
Variable | Observed Indicators | Content of the Questions | Mean (All) | Mean (Men) | Mean (Women) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outdoor environment | OB1: Exercise opportunities | Plenty of exercise opportunities in the community | 3.00 | 2.99 | 3.00 | |
OB2: Sport facilities | Lots of sport facilities in the community | 2.95 | 2.93 | 2.96 | ||
OB3: Walking environment | Walking in the community is pleasant | 3.29 | 3.26 | 3.30 | ||
OB4: Adequate amount of trees | Trees in the community provide shadows | 3.11 | 3.09 | 3.12 | ||
OB5: Attractiveness of exercise | I often see other people doing exercise in the community | 3.18 | 3.21 | 3.15 | ||
OB6: Attractiveness of walking | I often see other people walking around the community | 3.32 | 3.35 | 3.30 | ||
OB7: Convenience of walking | It is very convenience to go out to many other places | 3.64 | 3.62 | 3.65 | ||
Outdoor exercise | WF: Walking frequency | Walking frequency every week (at least 10 min) | 4.20 | 4.31 | 4.17 | |
WD: Walking duration | How long is a walk (in minute)? | 28.61 | 28.87 | 28.39 | ||
Neighborhood interaction | NI1: Mutual activities | How do you get together with each other or participate group activities in the community? | 2.15 | 2.03 | 2.24 | |
NI2: Mutual chatting | How do you talk with each other on personal matters in the community? | 2.34 | 2.45 | 2.44 | ||
NI3: Mutual help | How do you help each other in the community, such as baby-sitting, shopping, etc.? | 2.39 | 2.32 | 2.04 | ||
NI4: Mutual communication | Communicating with neighbors at home | 2.44 | 2.32 | 2.56 | ||
NI5: Mutual caring | Taking care of neighbor’s house or belongings when he is not at home or traveling | 1.91 | 1.86 | 1.94 | ||
Social participation | SP1: Voluntary work | Frequency of voluntary work | 1.61 | 1.45 | 1.72 | |
SP2: Self-management | Frequency of attending the self-management or mutual help group | 1.50 | 1.33 | 1.60 | ||
SP3: Lectures and presentations | Frequency of listening to lectures and presentations | 1.65 | 1.53 | 1.74 | ||
SP4: Culture and sports activities | Frequency of attending culture and sports activities in the community | 1.76 | 1.55 | 1.92 | ||
SP5: Interest groups | Frequency of attending the interest groups | 1.87 | 1.68 | 2.00 | ||
Activity ability | IADL1: Shopping | Range from 1 to 3 | Conditions in the last month | 2.63 | 2.68 | 2.59 |
IADL2: Outdoor exercise | Range from 1 to 4 | 3.09 | 3.30 | 2.94 | ||
IADL3: Cooking food | Range from 1 to 5 | 2.53 | 2.43 | 2.61 | ||
IADL4: Household chores | Range from 1 to 4 | 3.26 | 3.31 | 3.22 | ||
IADL5: Washing clothes | Range from 1 to 5 | 1.66 | 1.56 | 1.73 | ||
IADL6: Using a telephone | Range from 1 to 3 | 2.88 | 2.90 | 2.85 | ||
IADL7: Handling finances | Range from 1 to 4 | 1.88 | 1.91 | 1.86 | ||
Control variable | Age | How old are you? | 71.35 | 72.31 | 70.58 | |
Inc: Income | Monthly income of your family | 3.37 | 3.57 | 3.22 | ||
Edu: Education | Your education condition | 2.28 | 2.67 | 2.00 | ||
LiT: Time of living in the residence | How long have you been living in this community? | 21.66 | 22.09 | 21.35 | ||
SRH: Self-rated health | Self-assessment of your overall health | 2.38 | 2.45 | 2.34 |
Groups | Independent Variables | Mediating Variables | Dependent Variables | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Walking Behavior | Neighborhood Interaction | Social Participation | Activity Ability | ||||||||
Total Effect | Direct Effect | Indirect Effect | Total Effect | Direct Effect | Indirect Effect | Total Effect | Direct Effect | Indirect Effect | |||
Male | Outdoor environment | 0.241 *** | 0.148 ** | 0.108 | 0.040 *** | 0.053 | 0.023 | 0.030 | 0.100 ** | 0.047 | 0.053 *** |
Walking behavior | ---- | 0.165 *** | 0.165 *** | ---- | 0.123 ** | 0.123 ** | ---- | 0.232 *** | 0.233 *** | −0.001 | |
Neighborhood interaction | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | −0.039 | −0.039 | ---- | |
Social participation | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 0.039 | 0.039 | ---- | |
Female | Outdoor environment | 0.164 *** | 0.070 | 0.043 | 0.026 | 0.029 | 0.013 | 0.016 | 0.022 | −0.025 | 0.047 |
Walking behavior | ---- | 0.160 *** | 0.160 *** | ---- | 0.098 | 0.098 | ---- | 0.230 *** | 0.186 *** | 0.044 *** | |
Neighborhood interaction | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 0.165 *** | 0.165 *** | ---- | |
Social participation | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 0.183 *** | 0.183 *** | ---- |
Groups | Control Variables | Dependent Variables (Activity Ability) |
---|---|---|
Male | Age | 0.145 *** |
Income | −0.079 | |
Education | 0.035 | |
Time of living in the residential area | −0.047 | |
Self-rated health | 0.293 *** | |
Female | Age | 0.106 *** |
Income | 0.007 | |
Education | 0.132 *** | |
Time of living in the residential area | −0.053 | |
Self-rated health | 0.269 *** |
Hypothesis | Results | ||
---|---|---|---|
Elderly Male | Elderly Female | ||
1 | 1: Good outdoor environment in the community has a significant positive impact on the activity ability of elderly people. | √ | X |
2 | 2a: The intensity increase of outdoor exercise could effectively enhance the activity ability of elderly people. | √ | √ |
2b: The intensity increase of neighborhood interaction could effectively enhance the activity ability of elderly people. | X | √ | |
2c: The intensity increase of social participation could effectively enhance the activity ability of elderly people. | X | √ | |
3 | 3a: Outdoor exercise plays a mediating role in the impact path from the environment to people’s health. | √ | X |
3b: Neighborhood interaction plays a mediating role in the impact path from the environment to people’s health. | X | X | |
3c: Social participation plays a mediating role in the impact path from the environment to people’s health. | X | X |
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Zheng, Z.; Gao, J.; Yang, Y. The Enigma of Gender Differences in an Environment-Behavior-Health Model of Elderly People: The Choice Between Individually and Sociality. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 3483. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103483
Zheng Z, Gao J, Yang Y. The Enigma of Gender Differences in an Environment-Behavior-Health Model of Elderly People: The Choice Between Individually and Sociality. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(10):3483. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103483
Chicago/Turabian StyleZheng, Zhenhua, Junling Gao, and Ye Yang. 2020. "The Enigma of Gender Differences in an Environment-Behavior-Health Model of Elderly People: The Choice Between Individually and Sociality" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 10: 3483. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103483