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This paper considers the impact of variables at three different levels—city, community and individual—on the depression of adults aged 45 years and above in China. Evidence shows that community factors, such as infrastructure and elderly centres, are critical to reduce depression but the effect of city-level factors such as lowering income inequality and improving public health investment is different for the segments of poor and non-poor as well as the rural and urban residents. This highlights the need to consider targeted policy mix options to avoid resource misallocation. Lastly, Chinese females' depression has worsened over time with ageing, particularly those who drink alcohol or are less educated are prone to depression prompting the need for specialist women health centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan county of Ya’an city, Sichuan Province, China, on 20 April 2013. The Lushan earthquake damage is less than the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake’s, where 70,000 houses collapsed and 2 million people across nineteen prefectures and 115 counties of Sichuan province were affected. Temple Village (fictitious name), an old village in S township, was chosen as an intervention site. As most young adults went to work in the city, the old community became dilapidated and its traditional culture, architecture, custom, skill and wisdom were dying. Social workers were unable to tackle fully this community’s multiple needs, especially those associated with environmental and physical spaces linked to notions of belonging and identity, on their own. A transdisciplinary action research team in which social workers operated hand in hand with the disciplines of architectural design became the means for exploring an alternative model of post-disaster community reconstruction that would enhance the quality of life of left-behind people in this disaster-affected community. Working together, the research team facilitated the formation of a community kitchen project that enabled villagers to create a new building and co-operative organisations for the village’s long-term sustainable development. This paper presents the participatory design process, contribution of green social work and transdisciplinary interventions in post-disaster community reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives With the extension of healthy life expectancy, promoting active aging has become a policy response to rapid population aging in China. Yet, it has been inconclusive about the relative importance of the determinants of active aging. By applying a machine learning approach, this study aims to identify the most important determinants of active aging in 3 domains, i.e. paid/unpaid work, caregiving, and social activities, among Chinese older adults. Research Design and Methods Data were drawn from the first wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, which surveys a nationally representative sample of adults aged 60 years and older (N = 7,503). We estimated Random Forest and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression models (LASSO) to determine the most important factors related to active aging. Results Health has a generic effect on all outcomes of active aging. Our findings also identified the domain-specific determinants of active aging. Urban/rural residency is among the most important factors determining the likelihood of engaging in paid/unpaid work. Living in a multigenerational household is especially important in predicting caregiving activities. Neighborhood infrastructure and facilities have the strongest influence on older adults' participation in social activities. Discussion and Implications The application of feature selection models provides a fruitful first step in identifying the most important determinants of active aging among Chinese older adults. These results provide evidence-based recommendations for policies and practices promoting active aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Bridge employment has been encouraged by many countries worldwide as societies age rapidly. However, the health impact on bridge employment is not consistent in previous studies. This study aims to explore the association between bridge employment and long-term health outcome among the Chinese population. Methods In this prospective cohort study, we used a subset of the China Kadoorie Biobank study, in which 163,619 participants who reached the statutory age of retirement at baseline (2004–2008) were included in this study. Mortality statistics were obtained from death registries in the Death Surveillance Points system annually. We used a Cox proportional hazard model to analyze the association between bridge employment and all-cause mortality. Results Overall, we found that compared to retired/nonemployed men and women, hazards of all-cause mortality were lower in older people with bridge employment (men: 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77–0.88; women: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.74–0.94) in healthy populations. The protective effect of bridge employment was stronger among older adults living in rural areas and among those from a relatively low socioeconomic status. Discussion The lower risk of all-cause mortality associated with bridge employment was consistently observed among older men and women. Our findings may provide important insights from the health dimension on the retirement policy-making in China as a hyper-aging society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To determine whether exposure to an epidemic is associated with better health behaviors. Methods Using nationally representative survey data collected in 2011 and 2014, we identified middle-aged and older Chinese adults whose communities experienced an outbreak of the 2002–2004 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We estimated logistic models of health behaviors in the years after the SARS epidemic. Results Compared to those who lived in communities not hit by the epidemic, respondents who lived in communities with a SARS outbreak in 2002–2004 were more likely to get a physical examination in 2010–2011 and have their blood pressure checked and participate in regular physical exercise in the years following the SARS epidemic. These associations varied by gender and rural–urban residence. Discussion Exposure to the SARS epidemic could be positively associated with health behavior among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Heterogeneity in successful aging has been found across countries. Yet, comparable evidence is sparse except in North America and Europe. Extending prior research, this study examined the prevalence and correlates of successful aging in East Asia: China, Korea, and Japan. Method We used harmonized data sets from national surveys. A total of 6,479 participants (aged between 65 and 75) were analyzed. Using Rowe and Kahn's (1987 , 1997) model, successful aging was defined as having no major diseases, no difficulty performing activities of daily living, obtaining a median or higher score on tests of cognitive function, and being actively engaged. Results The average prevalence of successful agers was 17.6%. There were variations in the global and specific measures of successful aging within and across countries, even after controlling for individual sociodemographic factors (age, gender, and education). The odds of aging successfully were highest in Japan and lowest in China, especially in the rural areas. Being younger and males were associated with a higher likelihood of successful agers in both global and specific measures. Discussion This study observed heterogeneity in successful aging in East Asia. To identify policy implications, future research should explore potential societal factors influencing individuals' opportunities for successful aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background despite unique gender patterns of suicide among older people in rural China, research addressing this issue is scarce. This study aims to clarify the gender-specific risk factors of late-life suicide in rural China. Methods the study included 242 persons (51% male) aged 60 and above who had committed suicide between June 2014 and September 2015 in the rural areas of three provinces of China. Using 1:1 matched case-control design, 242 living controls matched in age, gender and neighbourhood were randomly selected. Psychological autopsy interviews and psychological assessments were conducted with two informants for each suicide and living control, respectively. Results men used alcohol before suicide more than women (12.6 versus 4.7%, P  < 0.05). There was no gender difference in suicide method, suicide intent and previous attempts. Univariate analysis showed that married status, mental disorder, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, impulsivity, loneliness, social support, family function and quality of life were associated with suicide in both genders. For men, other risk factors were chronic physical illness and functions of daily living. Variables remaining in the multivariable model for both men and women were depressive symptoms and hopelessness. Discussion depression and hopelessness are the two major risk factors for suicide among both older men and woman in rural China. Suicide prevention programmes focusing on depression and hopelessness in this population are indicated. Also needed are continued efforts to develop and refined gender-specialised strategies to identify high-risk individuals or groups and to enhance targeted support in the rural community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The objective of this analysis was to examine older adults' preferences for economic support in the context of competition between grandparents and grandchildren for the middle generation's financial resources in rural China. Specifically, it examined how relative need, lineage, and gender of grandchildren depicted in a vignette were evaluated and how personal characteristics of the evaluators influenced beliefs for which generation should receive more support. Method The sample consisted of 989 older adults participating in three waves of a longitudinal study in Anhui Province, China. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to examine how older respondents evaluated the relative priority of grandparents versus grandchildren in their claim for monetary assistance using a hypothetical vignette with randomized conditions. Results Relatively greater need of either the vignette grandparent or grandchild increased their priority to receive economic support. The vignette granddaughter was most disadvantaged in the competition with her paternal grandparent. Respondents who were single, in worse functional health, and whose children all migrated gave the vignette grandparent greater priority; those who coresided with children gave the vignette grandparent lower priority. Discussion Findings support the altruistic perspective on filial support and the corporate group/mutual aid model of family functioning, within the family system that differentiates patrilineal from matrilineal lines of descent. Under budget constraints, selective children are considered to have legitimate claims on the resources of the middle generation, tempering filial piety toward aging parents. Lack of personal resources plays a role in whether self-interest shapes beliefs that favor older over younger generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) load is predictive of HR-HPV persistence and subsequent carcinogenesis in women. However, in men, data on genital HPV load and its effect on the natural history of HPV infection are limited. Methods The subjects included 1532 men aged 25–65 years with up to 7 biannual visits for evaluation of genital HPV load in rural China during 2009–2013 who were positive for ≥1 of the 18 selected HPV types (including 10 HR-HPV types) detected by general primer-mediated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Type-specific HPV load was quantified with real-time PCR and dichotomized based on median values. Results Men with multiple lifetime sex partners were more likely to have higher overall levels of HR-HPV load across visits (adjusted odds ratio, 2.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–5.24; 2 partners vs 0–1 partner). Higher levels of HR-HPV load at the time of the first HPV diagnosis conferred an increased probability of the subject remaining type-specific HPV-positive up to 12 months and an increased probability of persistent/intermittent infection (virus detected repeatedly with or without a period of intercurrent negativity) versus transient infections (single-time positive). Higher overall HR-HPV levels were predictive of reduced HR-HPV clearance rates (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI,.27–.83). Conclusions Having multiple lifetime sex partners is associated with increased male genital HR-HPV load. Higher HR-HPV load predicts persistence of HR-HPV in men from rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Urban birth and urban living are associated with increased risk of schizophrenia but less is known about effects on more common psychotic experiences (PEs). China has undergone the most rapid urbanization of any country which may have affected the population-level expression of psychosis. We therefore investigated effects of urbanicity, work migrancy, and residential stability on prevalence and severity of PEs. Methods Population-based, 2-wave household survey of psychiatric morbidity and health-related behavior among 4132 men, 18–34 years of age living in urban and rural Greater Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. PEs were measured using the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire. Results 1261 (31%) of young men experienced at least 1 PE. Lower levels of PEs were not associated with urbanicity, work migrancy or residential stability. Urban birth was associated with reporting 3 or more PEs (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.25–2.11), after multivariable adjustment, with further evidence (P =.01) this effect was restricted to those currently living in urban environments (OR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.16–2.72). Men experiencing a maximum of 5 PEs were over 8 times more likely to have been born in an urban area (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 8.81; 95% CI 1.50–51.79). Conclusions Men in Chengdu, China, experience a high prevalence of PEs. This may be explained by rapid urbanization and residential instability. Urban birth was specifically associated with high, but not lower, severity levels of PEs, particularly amongst those currently living in urban environments. This suggests that early and sustained environmental exposures may be associated with more severe phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is known to be harmful to health. However, the association between household SHS and cognitive function among middle-aged and older women in China is understudied. Lagged dependent variable regression was used to examine the association between household SHS exposure and the cognitive function of married women who had been exposed to SHS, using data from 2 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011-2013). Controlling for age, educational attainment, geographic residence, household expenditures, and chronic conditions (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, and depressive symptoms), the results indicated that longer SHS exposure was associated with a greater decline in memory over 2 years. After comparing differences across age groups, this pattern was significant for women aged 55-64 years. Furthermore, those who were illiterate, lived in rural areas, and reported depressive symptoms had a greater decline in memory. With evidence linking household SHS exposure with a higher risk of cognitive decline, effective education and public health intervention programs are urgently needed. Stronger tobacco control regulations and education about the dangers of household SHS are viable strategies to reduce the impending dementia epidemic in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a toolkit titled Assessing Mental Health and Psycyhsocial Needs and Resources: Toolkit for Major Humanitarian Settings (MHPNR) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugess (UNHCR) for major humanitarian crises internationally. Topics discussed include a psychosocial needs assessment in a village in China that has been plagued by recurring landslides using the Toolkit.