Social Activities and Health-Related Quality of Life in Rural Older Adults in South Korea: A 4-Year Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

During later life, inadequate social interactions may be associated with worse quality of life in older adults. Rural older adults are prone to developing unhealthy lifestyles related to social activities, which can lead to a poorer quality of life than that enjoyed by older adults living in urban areas. This study aimed to describe longitudinal changes in social activity participation and health-related quality of life among rural older adults, exploring potential associations with changes to in-person social activity over four years. We used prospective community-based cohort data from the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP) collected between December 2011 and January 2016. The sample included 525 older adults who completed the measure of health-related quality of life. Our results showed a significant change in health-related quality of life according to changes in participation in meeting with friends. Even though an individual’s participation in other social activities did not show significant differences in health-related quality of life, our findings imply that in-person social activities may be an important resource to encourage participation in physical activities and to develop other positive outcomes, such as a sense of belonging or satisfaction with later life, among rural older adults.

Quality of life of older people in nursing homes in China–evaluation and application of the Chinese version of the life satisfaction questionnaire

“…Another limitation was the convenience sampling method, and data were collected from nursing homes in only one city in China and its surroundings, which could influence generalizability. However, participants’ sociodemographic characteristics were similar to those of other Chinese studies of older people’s needs in nursing homes and QOL using national data of nursing home residents [ 7 , 36 ]. Additionally, for the included privately run nursing homes, we selected data from five government-constructed privately run nursing homes and one private nursing home.…”

“…Our findings indicated that QOL domains such as quality of activities and close-friend relationships were poor among Chinese nursing home residents. Choi et al [ 36 ] suggested that nursing home staff should provide different types of spiritual services and encourage older people to participate in entertainment and social activities to achieve positive health outcomes. The LSQ-Chinese version will be a valuable instrument to assess the quality of everyday activities in nursing homes and the quality of social relationships and perceived health.…”

Verification of the Mediating Effect of Social Support on Physical Activity and Aging Anxiety of Korean Pre-Older Adults

“…In this sense, the lives of pre-older adults in Korea significantly differ from those of the current older adults, especially in the engagement of the former in social activities. Various social activities are of paramount importance to older adults not only to enhance the body's immunity and health, but also to create a sense of psychological stability and open-mindedness [8]. In particular, social activities that involve effective communication and that expand social groups can lead to larger support structures and a greater presence of older adults in society [8,9].…”

“…Various social activities are of paramount importance to older adults not only to enhance the body's immunity and health, but also to create a sense of psychological stability and open-mindedness [8]. In particular, social activities that involve effective communication and that expand social groups can lead to larger support structures and a greater presence of older adults in society [8,9]. This represents social support, namely support received from family, friends, and neighbors [10].…”

Disparities in Healthcare Services and Spatial Assessments of Mobile Health Clinics in the Border Regions of Thailand

“…Frequently, the problem with the healthcare demand is profoundly linked to the population concentration due to the urbanization process in metropolitan centers and citizen aging. These issues have been seen in several countries [101,102]. Concerning accessibility at the national level, the certain administrative district stage must be considered, where the management of residents' health is delegated to this specific region.…”