In-home environment for happy ageing in Thailand, a middle- income country in Asia

Abstract

Background The fact that housing can play a critical role in maintaining the health and independence related to happiness of the older population has been studied in more developed countries. However, research on the effect of housing conditions on happiness is rare in less developed countries. This study aimed to construct and test a structural equation model describing the structural relationship among personal aspects (living alone and physical disability), in-home environment, and happiness, controlling for other generally-acknowledged determinants such as age, gender, marital status, education and income, among older adults in Thailand. Methods The data on the population age 75 years or over were extracted from the 2017 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand, carried out by the Thai National Statistical Office (n = 7,829). Data were analyzed using AMOS Version 18. Results The median age of the sample population was 79. Almost 60 percent were women. About one in six (16.7 percent) lived alone and three out of five had no physical disability. Housing conditions, particularly in the sleeping place and toilet/bathroom needed to be improved. The structural equation model showed a good fit with the data, χ2 = 302.397 (p < .001), goodness of fit index (GFI) = .964, normed fit index (NFI) = .959, comparative fit index (CFI) = .964, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .10. In-home environment had a significantly positive effect on older adults’ happiness (path coefficient = .235, p < .001). Physical disability had a significantly positive effect on in-home environment (path coefficient = .113, p < .001). Conclusions Interventions to improve happiness of older adults, particularly those with physical disability, should aim to adapt their housing, including sleeping place and toilet design.