Trajectory of physical health, cognitive function, and psychological well-being among Chinese elderly

We investigate the trajectory of various dimensions of health well-being among the Chinese elderly in their late years. With the rapid increase among the aging population in China, their health well-being are in dire need of attention. This issue is compounded by the one-child policy that many of the elderly would not have children to be able to take care of them. It is also well-documented that physical and psychological health and function in later life are interrelated. For example, studies in the U.S. indicate that elders who are depressed are significantly less likely to recover from fractures than those who were not depressed. It is therefore important to examine both psychological and physical health indicators. This study contributes to the knowledge base on factors associated with physical health, cognitive function, and psychological well-being among the Chinese elderly. We conduct growth-curve analyses on a subsample (n = 1,051) of the elderly from the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS) who had information from 1998 to 2005. Results indicate that the elderly who had relatively advantaged childhood socioeconomic status and who had been involved in regular physical and/or leisure activities had significantly healthier well-being than their respective counterparts on all dimensions considered here. In addition, regularly participating in physical and/or leisure activities were found to slow down the deterioration of health well-being. Study highlights the benefits of being physically and/or leisurely active, and the implication to community social service agencies providing resources to facilitate these benefits for the elderly.