Use of home and community-based services and loneliness in older people with functional limitations: a cross-sectional study

BMC Psychiatry

Research

Xiaojie Sun¹  Jinxin Zhang¹  Aaron Yao² 

[1]Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Rd, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, China

[2]NHC Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, China

[3]Home Centered Care Institute, Schaumburg, IL, USA

[4]University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

关键词: Loneliness;    Home and community-based services;    Activities of daily living;    Older adults;    China;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-023-05225-6

 received in 2023-05-26, accepted in 2023-09-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLoneliness is one of the major health problems among older adults. Among this population, home and community-based services (HCBS) have become increasingly popular. Despite its health benefits, little is known about the relationship between HCBS use and loneliness in older people with functional limitations. We aim to explore the characteristics of loneliness among older people with functional limitations and examine the association between HCBS use and loneliness in China.MethodsWe used a cross-sectional data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, which includes a nationally representative sample of Chinese residents aged 65 and older with functional limitations. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between HCBS use and loneliness, and we further used propensity score matching to address potential sample selection bias.ResultIn China, 46% of older people with functional limitations felt lonely and only 22% of older people with functional limitations reported using HCBS in 2018. Compared with participants who did not receive HCBS, those who received HCBS were less likely to report loneliness (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.63, 0.99, p = 0.048), and the results remained significant after addressing sample selection bias using propensity score matching.ConclusionOur results showed that loneliness was common among Chinese older people with functional limitations, and the proportion of HCBS use was low. There was robust evidence to support that among older people with functional limitations, HCBS use was associated with decreased loneliness. Further policies should promote the development of broader HCBS use for older people with functional limitations to reduce their loneliness.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023