Impact of lifestyle habits on the health self-assessment of rural older men of different ages: evidence from the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey

This study examined the influence of lifestyle habits on health self-assessments among elderly rural men and the effect of age on the strength of the impact to provide a basis for targeted health improvement in this population. Data from the 2018 Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance, regression analysis, and Shapley value decomposition tests. The model analysis results showed that elderly rural men who did not drink alcohol or were moderate drinkers, maintained regular sleep patterns, exercised regularly, and had active social interactions had better health self-assessment results (p < 0.01). Notably, the impact of lifestyle habits on health perceptions varied with age. Specifically, the influence of alcohol consumption and sleep duration decreased with age, while the benefits of physical activity and social engagement became more pronounced. These results suggest that lifestyle habits significantly impact the health self-assessments of elderly rural men, with notable variations observed in the strength of these effects across different ages. To improve the overall health of elderly rural men, alcohol cessation interventions should be implemented as early as possible, attention should be paid to the sleep habits of young male seniors, and low-intensity group exercise and social activities should be actively organized for older male seniors.

Perceived health; Living habits; Rural male elderly; Age differences

[1] Zhang L, Zeng Y, Wang L, Fang Y. Urban-rural differences in long-term care service status and needs among home-based elderly people in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17: 1701.

[2] Goins RT, Kategile U, Dudley KC. Telemedicine, rural elderly, and policy issues. Journal of Aging & Social Policy. 2002; 13: 53–71.

[3] Ran XX, Hu H W. Urban-rural disparity, digital divide and health inequality of the elderly. Population Journal. 2022; 44: 46–58.

[4] Sun MF, Ni WQ, Yuan XL, Chi HS, Sun YY, Xu J. Evaluation of the effect of smoking, drinking and exercise behavioral interventions for people at high risk of chronic diseases in Fujian District, Shenzhen, China. Chinese Journal of Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases. 2020; 28: 358–362. (In Chinese)

[5] Ye JZ. Relationship between retirement, living habit and health: based on harmonized CHARLS data. Population & Economics. 2018; 227: 80–90.

[6] Chen L, Yuan BK, Li WY. Mediating and moderating effects of perception of stress between health concern and living habits. Journal of Nursing. 2022; 29: 1–4.

[7] GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators. Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet. 2018; 392: 1015–1035.

[8] Rimm EB, Williams P, Fosher K, Criqui M, Stampfer MJ. Moderate alcohol intake and lower risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of effects on lipids and haemostatic factors. The BMJ. 1999; 319: 1523–1528.

[9] Doll R, Peto R, Boreham J, Sutherland I. Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years’ observations on male British doctors. The BMJ. 2004; 328: 1519.

[10] Kripke DF, Garfinkel L, Wingard DL, Klauber MR, Marler MR. Mortality associated with sleep duration and insomnia. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2002; 59: 131–136.

[11] American College of Sports Medicine. American college of sports medicine position stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1998; 30: 992–1008.

[12] Ng CWL, Luo N, Heng B H. Health status profiles in community-dwelling elderly using self-reported health indicators: a latent class analysis. Quality of Life Research. 2014; 23: 2889–2898.

[13] Li Y, Guo M. Filial piety matters: a study of intergenerational supports and parental health. Ssm-Population Health. 2022; 18: 101096.

[14] Zhang YL, Liu JK. The effect of intergenerational care on elderly’s physical and mental health and its mechanism analysis: an empirical analysis based on 2014 data from the China longitudinal aging social survey. Journal of Agrotechnical Economics. 2022; 324: 117–131.

[15] Zhang YY, Chen D. Does new rural social pension alleviate the inequality of opportunity between urban and rural elderly health: evidence from the CHARLS data. Journal of Agrotechnical Economics. 2023; 82–99.

[16] Sun JL. Influence of social support factors on the health of elderly floating population in China. Medicine and Society. 2022; 35: 26–30.

[17] Zeng Y. Towards deeper research and better policy for healthy aging—using the unique data of Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey. China Economic Journal. 2012; 5: 131–149.

[18] Kyung Min Park, Eun Kyung Ha. Ability of self care and health promotion lifestyle for vulnerable elderly in urban community. Korean Public Health Research. 2004; 30: 96–103.

[19] Oelsner EC, Balte PP, Bhatt SP, Cassano PA, Couper D, Folsom AR, et al. Lung function decline in former smokers and low-intensity current smokers: a secondary data analysis of the NHLBI pooled cohorts study. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2020; 8: 34–44.

[20] Li J, Wu B, Tevik K, Krokstad S, Helvik A. Factors associated with elevated consumption of alcohol in older adults—comparison between China and Norway: the CLHLS and the HUNT study. BMJ Open. 2019; 9: e028646.

[21] GBD 2020 Alcohol Collaborators. Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020. The Lancet. 2022; 400: 185–235.

[22] Wu M, Wang YP, Wang WH, Sa RN, Hu ZP, Liu R, et al. Relationship between sleeping duration and metabolic syndrome in adults of Shaanxi Province. Chinese Journal of Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases. 2022; 30: 920–923. (In Chinese)

[23] Hua QZ. Gerontological nursing. 3rd edn. People’s Medical Publishing House: Beijing. 2012.

[24] Liu ZY, Chen X, Gill TM, Ma C, Crimmins EM, Levine ME. Associations of genetics, behaviors, and life course circumstances with a novel aging and healthspan measure: evidence from the health and retirement study. PLOS Medicine. 2019; 16: 1002827.

[25] Knapik A, Brzęk A, Famuła-Wąż A, Gallert-Kopyto W, Szydłak D, Marcisz C, et al. The relationship between physical fitness and health self-assessment in elderly. Medicine. 2019; 98: e15984.

[26] Lee HJ, Dugan E. How large is the gap between self-report and assessed mental health and does it impact older adult mental health service utilization? Journal of Gerontological Social Work. 2015; 58: 3–19.

[27] Franek G, Cabaj Marianna, Nowak Zofia. The self-assessment of health condition among elderly people. Wiadomosci Lekarskie. 2002; 1: 668–672.

[28] Si M S. Study on correlation between self-rated health status and life style of the oldest-old in integrated medical treatment and care institutions in Qingdao. Medicine and Society. 2018; 227: 80–90.

[29] Gao M Y, Huang W, Yang S. A study of mental health self-assessment and lifestyle-related factors among the elderly in Liaoning province. Chinese Journal of Health Statistics. 2022; 29: 1–4.

[30] Gilson K, Bryant C, Judd F. Exploring risky drinking and knowledge of safe drinking guidelines in older adults. Substance Use & Misuse. 2014; 49: 1473–1479.

[31] Qiu Y J, Lv X Z, Wu T F, Zhang Y, Wang H, Li B, et al. Prevalence and correlates of risky drinking among the oldest-old in china: a national community-based survey. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2022; 13: 919888.

[32] Pillai A, Nayak MB, Greenfield TK, Bond JC, Nadkarni A, Patel V. Patterns of alcohol use, their correlates, and impact in male drinkers: a population-based survey from Goa, India. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2013; 48: 275–282.

[33] Liao H, Liao S, Gao Y, Mu J, Wang X, Chen D. Correlation between sleep time, sleep quality, and emotional and cognitive function in the elderly. BioMed Research International. 2022; 2022: 9709536.

[34] Yang F, Huang YJ, Wang FBH. Physical exercises of Chinese older adults and social participation: health promotion and network expansion. Population Research. 2021; 45: 97–113.

[35] Yang X, Wang Y L. Quantitative analysis: influence of social activities on the elderly health. Population Journal. 2020; 42: 66–77.

[36] Prochaska JO, DiClemente CC. Stages and processes of self-change of smoking: toward an integrative model of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1983; 51: 390–395.

[37] Ray A, Ninave S, Patil PS, Ninave S, Khan T. Assessing the behavioral and personality changes in alcohol dependence syndrome in Wardha, Central India. Cureus. 2023; 15: e48419.

[38] Ci Q Y, Cheng Y R. The influence of family factors on the elderly’s labor participation in Rural areas. New horizons from Tianfu. 2022; 228: 74–86.

[39] Lan T, Lan T, Wen C, Lin Y, Chuang Y. Nighttime sleep, Chinese afternoon nap, and mortality in the elderly. Sleep. 2007; 30: 1105–1110.

[40] Wu Z, Sun L, Sun Y, Zhang X, Tao F, Cui G. Correlation between loneliness and social relationship among empty nest elderly in Anhui rural area, China. Aging & Mental Health. 2010; 14: 108–112.

[41] Ding Z H. The influence of social participation of the rural oldest-old on their health. Lanzhou Academic Journal. 2018; 303: 179–195. (In Chinese)

[42] Li W J. The effect of physical exercise on anxiety and depression among rural left-behind older adults. Chinese Journal of Gerontology. 2015; 35: 7204–7206. (In Chinese)