The aim of the study was to assess the differences between rural and urban areas as regards the role of social capital and its effect on self-rated health and subjective well-being among older people in Poland. The sample was selected on the basis of multi-stage clustered design from the non-institutionalized adult population. Analysis was based on 1,299 elderly people aged 65 and over from the general Polish population who participated in the COURAGE in Europe project. Six regions of Poland were distinguished according to first level of Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) classification . As an indicator of social capital, the COURAGE Social Network Index, the OSLO-3 Social Support Scale, and the three item UCLA Loneliness scale were used, as well as social participation and trust was assessed. Self-rated health (SRH) was measured by WHO-Europe recommended version (ranging from 'very good' to 'very bad'). Well-being was assessed by the Day Reconstruction Method. Results: The results showed that in urban areas, social network and social participation supported positive self-rated health; in rural, older residents the number of years of education and social support played the same role, while self-rated health decreased with an increasing level of loneliness. Self-rated health decreased in both groups of older people with a growing number of diseases. The multivariate linear regression model of predictors of well-being in older age also confirmed differences between urban and rural elderly residents. In rural residents, subjective well-being significantly increased with the positive effect of the social network. In both urban and rural areas, poor assessment of subjective well-being in older age increased with a higher level of loneliness and growing number of chronic diseases.

No abstract

PurposeGender-related differences in life expectancy, prevalence of chronic conditions and level of disability in the process of ageing have been broadly described. Less is known about social determinants, which may have different impacts on quality of life in men and women. The investigation aims to reveal gender-related differences in social determinants on quality of life assessed by a multi-pathway model including health, social, demographic and living place characteristics.MethodsThe study group consisted of 5099 participants aged 50+ representing general populations of three different European regions (Finland, Poland, Spain) who participated in COURAGE in EUROPE Project. Standardized tools were used to measure quality of life (WHOQOL-AGE) and social determinants (COURAGE Social Network Index, OSLO-3 Social Support Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, participation scale and trust). A multipath model considering exogenous predictors (demographic, economic), mediators (social) and endogenous outcome (QOL) was created to reveal the role of determinants. Gender-related differences were investigated across three age categories: 50–64; 65–79 and 80+.ResultsThe model (RMSEA = 0.058; CFI = 0.939) showed the effects of all of the investigated determinants. Gender-related differences in the association between social constructs and QOL were observed for social networks in the group of 80+, for social support in the group of 50–64 and 65–79 years, and for social participation in the group of 65–79 years. Males benefited more (in QOL) from social networks and social support, and women from social participation.ConclusionsThe research provides valuable knowledge about the role of social determinants in QOL considering complex relations between different social constructs. Additionally, the results showed gender-related differences in the associations between social networks, social support, social participation and QOL, suggesting that men might benefit more from the interventions in the first two. Although our research did not investigate the effects of interventions, the results show directions for future investigations, how to shape social interventions at the population level to improve quality of life of older adults, and thus help achieve successful ageing.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11136-017-1530-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

ion co-doped fluorapatite (Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 F 2 ) nanocrystals were fabricated using a microwave stimulated hydrothermal technique followed by heat treatment at 500 °C. The concentration of Eu 3+ ions was set to be 1 mol% and that of the Li + ions was in the range of 0.5-5 mol% to investigate the site occupancy preference and charge compensation co-doping. The structural and morphological properties of the obtained samples were determined by using XRD (X-ray powder diffraction) and TEM (transmission electron microscopy) techniques as well as IR (infrared) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The particle size was verified and calculated by the Rietveld method being in the range of 70-95 nm. The luminescence properties (the emission, excitation spectra and emission kinetics) of the Eu 3+ ion-doped fluorapatite depending on the co-dopant (Li + ions) were recorded. Significantly, fluorescence quenching by OH − groups was eliminated by Fions and the luminescence intensity was enhanced by co-doping with Li + ions.The simplified Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory has been performed to explain a detailed analysis of the luminescence spectra.

No abstract