Housing, health and wellbeing of older persons in China and India
R. Antczak, A. Zaidi
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AbstractBackground This paper presents an analysis of the wellbeing of older persons in China and India, with a focus on the linkages between different features of housing and life satisfaction and self-rated health as elements of wellbeing. The motivation of the paper is drawn from the fact that housing is a critical aspect of living conditions in later life. Older persons experience decreasing functional capacities and require greater support in their times of rising frailty and vulnerability. Additionally, a large majority of Indian and Chinese older persons live in their own homes, without the obligation of an outstanding mortgage, and they are more likely to have emotional, subjective attachment with their homes than younger persons. Housing conditions can contribute to wellbeing both as a stressor and as an enabling factor. Therefore, one of the aims of this study is to assess in what way, positive or negative, housing conditions influence wellbeing of older persons in the context of India and China, two most populous countries in the world with the fastest ageing populations in the world. In 2015, persons aged 60 and over living in those two countries constitute 36% of worldwide population of 60+ and this share will grow to 39% in 2030. This paper also examines whether housing influenced one or both commonly used measures of older people’s wellbeing, namely life satisfaction and self-rated health. We also examine which housing features have the highest influence on subjective wellbeing. Method This paper uses micro data derived from the first wave of the WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health ‘SAGE’ carried out in India and China during 2007. For the assessment of housing conditions, the paper constructs a composite index of housing quality (QoH) drawing from data on a number of housing attributes available in the SAGE survey. The relationship between housing conditions and wellbeing indicators is then examined using multivariate modelling methods (viz. ordered probit regression). The use of interaction terms allowed highlighting the differential impact of varying housing attributes for persons. Results and discussion Housing conditions vary significantly between the two countries analysed. Older population in China experienced much better conditions than those observed for India. The key findings confirmed the importance of housing conditions for the subjective wellbeing indicators of older persons. However, surprisingly, this relationship is stronger in the case of the life satisfaction measure, and rather limited for the self-rated health measure, leading to conclusion that housing features do not have influence on all aspects of wellbeing. Additionally, notable differences are found in these relationships between India and China, which implies that perception of housing and its importance may be dependent on other external public services as well as on the context of culture and environment.Keywords: housing, amenities, self-rated health, wellbeing of older persons, China, India
R. Antczak, A. Zaidi (2016). Housing, health and wellbeing of older persons in China and India. Gerontechnology, 15(1), 45-57
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2016.15.1.009.00