Do Age-Friendly Rural Communities Affect Quality of Life? A Comparison of Perceptions from Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China

Jingyu Yu, Guixia Ma and Shuxia Wang
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Jingyu Yu: School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Guixia Ma: School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Shuxia Wang: Suzhou University, Suzhou 234000, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: The aging population in rural areas of China faces serious challenges due to urban–rural disparities. In order to improve the active aging of rural older adults, the establishment of age-friendly communities is encouraged. However, globally, the focus is on age-friendly communities in urban areas, not reflecting rural communities. Hence, we addressed the importance of age-friendly rural communities (AFRCs) and aimed to investigate their impact on the quality of life (QoL) of older adults. We examined different perceptions of AFRCs among older adults (aged over 60) and middle-aged people (45–60) in rural communities with questionnaire surveys ( n = 470 and 393, respectively). Several statistical methods, such as Chi-squared test, t -test, reliability test, and multiple regression, were adopted to investigate and compare the perceptions of these two. The results indicated that (1) middle-aged people were more satisfied with AFRC components and had a higher QoL than older adults; (2) the QoL of middle-aged people was predicted by housing, accessibility, and outdoor spaces; (3) the QoL of older adults was affected by housing, outdoor spaces, social participation, and public transportation. These findings aid in our understanding of rural communities and the QoL of rural residents. They are helpful for urban planners and policymakers to improve the planning of AFRCs and supplement research on age-friendly communities in rural areas. Practical implementations are proposed for the planning of AFRCs, such as the passive design of residential housing, grouping of community facilities together, and improvement in the hygiene of outdoor spaces in rural areas.

Keywords: age-friendly communities; older adults; quality of life; rural community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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