Greater Risk of Negative Health Outcomes of Older Adults Living Alone in Vietnam

A Community Survey

Bibliographic Data

ID15466727
AuthorsThi Hue Man Vo (0000-0002-7424-4855, Tokyo Medical and Dental University), Keiko Nakamura (0000-0002-9119-4730, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, corresponding author), Kageyoshi Seino (0000-0003-3145-6396, Tokyo Medical and Dental University), Kaoruko Seino (Tokyo Medical and Dental University), Thang Van Vo (0000-0003-2018-0371, Hue University)
Year2021
Volume18
Issue21
Pages11115-11115
Publication date2021-10-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph182111115
PMID34769635
OpenAlexW3209340605
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited21

In modern Asian societies, there has been a shift in the living arrangements of older adults away from living with others. Knowing the health characteristics of individuals living alone can help identify high-risk groups. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe characteristics of the Vietnamese older adults and to investigate the association between living alone and their reported health outcomes by utilizing survey data of individuals aged ≥60 years in Vietnam in 2018. The community survey included questions about sociodemographic factors, living arrangement, and self-reported physical functional status. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine whether or not living alone was a predictor of health outcomes. Of 725 study participants, 8.9% lived alone. These participants were more likely to be female, aged 70-79 years, living in rural areas, and currently single or previously married. After adjusting for covariates, older adults who were living alone were more likely to have arthritis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-3.45), a history of falling (AOR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.02-5.82), visual difficulties (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.04-3.41), feelings of loneliness (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.10-3.47), and high fear of falling (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.02-3.46). Older adults living alone in Vietnam were at greater risk of negative health consequences than those living with others. Screening and providing adequate social support for this specific population is important in preventing the adverse effects of solitary living among these older adults

Activities of daily living · Confidence interval · Environmental health · Fear of falling · Feeling · Injury prevention · Logistic regression · Loneliness · Odds ratio · Physical therapy · Poison control · Population · Psychiatry · Social support · Vietnamese · Chronic Disease Management Strategies · Demography · Health disparities and outcomes · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Gerontology

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