Economic Stress, Quality of Life, and Mortality for the Oldest-Old in China

Autor/inn/en	Yeung, W. Jean; Xu, Zhenhua
Titel	Economic Stress, Quality of Life, and Mortality for the Oldest-Old in China
Quelle	In: Social Indicators Research, 108 (2012) 1, S.131-152 (22 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0303-8300
DOI	10.1007/s11205-011-9870-1
Schlagwörter	Medical Services; Poverty; Income; Mortality Rate; Life Style; Quality of Life; Risk; Children; Urban Areas; Retirement Benefits; Foreign Countries; Older Adults; Stress Variables; Economic Factors; Age; Sex; Marital Status; Educational Attainment; Correlation; Rural Areas; China + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Arzt; Armut; Einkommen; Mortalitätsrate; Lebensstil; Lebensqualität; Risiko; Child; Kind; Kinder; Urban area; Stadtregion; Retirement pay; Ruhegehalt; Ausland; Älterer Erwachsener; Ökonomischer Faktor; Alter; Lebensalter; Geschlecht; Geschlechtsverkehr; Familienstand; Bildungsabschluss; Bildungsgut; Korrelation; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum
Abstract	China's oldest old population is estimated to quadruple by 2050. Yet, poverty rate for the oldest old has been the highest among all age groups in China. This paper investigates the relationship between economic stress, quality of life, and mortality among the oldest-old in China. Both objective economic hardships and perceived economic strain are examined. We base our investigation on data drawn from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey conducted between 2000 and 2005. Our sample includes 10,972 men and women between the ages of 80 and 105 in 2000. The data show that about 16% of these oldest-old lived under economic stress in 2000. The risk factors that make one vulnerable to economic stress include age, being male, being widowed or never married, being a minority member, having no education, having no living children, and not having children as main source of income, and having no pension. Economic stress is negatively associated with indicators of quality of life, such as the quality of medical care and mental well-being. The poor quality of life contributes to the higher mortality rate for the oldest old who are under economic stress. Results also show that perceived economic strain increases the risk of mortality by 42% in rural areas, even after controlling for basic demographic characteristics, life style factors, and major health events. For the rural oldest-old, having children as a main source of income and having access to pension alleviates the negative impact of economic hardship on mortality hazard by 23 and 66% respectively. However, in urban areas, economic stress has no direct impact on the hazard of mortality. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10