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Abstract Background With the rapid development of population ageing, the international community has been paying more attention to the health problems of older adults and the age-friendly community. But there has not been enough discussion about the internal mechanism of the community-built environment that influences the health of older adults. The aim of our study was to explore the complex relationships among community-built environment, social participation, outdoor exercise, and health of older adults, as well as the differences among older adults in different income groups, particular attention was paid to the situation of low-income group. Methods This study used descriptive statistical analysis and structural equation Modeling (SEM) to make a group comparison among older adults in different income groups. The data of this study came from a sample survey in Shanghai, China. Results The study found that health difference exists among older adults in China: the lower the income, the worse the community-built environment, the worse the health. The community-built environment had an important impact on the health of older adults, especially the low-income older adults. And the community-built environment influenced the health of older adults through the intermediary role of outdoor exercise and social participation. Furthermore, the lower the income level of older adults, the stronger the direct effect of the community-built environment on their health; the higher the income level of older adults, the stronger the mediating effect of outdoor exercise and social participation on the impact of the community-built environment on their health. Conclusion Governments should pay more attention to the health and living conditions of low-income older adults and take proactive steps to help them. Community design and construction should pay more attention to the demands of low-income older adult groups, which will help to improve the health inequality of older adults, consequently enhancing older adults’ overall health.

Abstract Background Although social network is a known determinant of the elderly’s well-being, it is not clear, in urban-rural and age-comparison, what its structural characteristics are and how it works for well-being. The research aims to discuss the features of the elderly’s social network and the social network efficacies on the well-being of older adults in China’s urban and rural areas as well as revealing the urban-rural disparities among the elderly of different age groups. Methods In this study, descriptive statistical analysis and structural equation Modeling (SEM) were used to make a group comparison between the urban and rural elderly of different age groups. All data are quoted from 2014 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS). The survey adopted the multi-stage probability sampling method, targeting Chinese senior citizens aged 60 and above, the ultimate samples totaled 11,511. Results The social network of the elderly in China feature a “reverse structure” in age sequences: with ageing, family network of the elderly expand while their friend network shrink; also, the expansion scale of the rural elderly’s family network is significantly larger than that of the city’s while the shrinkage scale of their friend network is smaller compared with its urban counterpart. The effect of family network on the rural elderly’s well-being shows a remarkable increase with age. However, there is no noticeable change in urban elderly groups of different ages. Conclusion The social network characteristics of the Chinese elderly are different between different age stages. Namely, the family network and the friend network have the “reverse structure “ in age sequences. Meanwhile, the family network and the friend network have different efficacies on the well-being of the elderly in China, and the differences between urban and rural areas are even more obvious. For rural elderly, family network has very important effects on their well-being. Moreover, With the increase of age, family network’s efficacies increase gradually. For urban elderly, comparatively, family network is just as important as friend network.