Quality of Life of the Disadvantaged Elderly in China: A Partial Least Squares (PLS) Approach

Abstract

With the improvement of the global economy and progress of the medical field, aging has become a worldwide problem. The disadvantaged elderly, which are the foci of public policy due to limited economic capacity, lack of information, weak ability to resist risks, and poor development prospects, were selected as research objects. This study aims to identify the key factors that affect the quality of life of disadvantaged elderly in China. After developing four hypotheses, a quantitative, cross-sectional was devised and used it to collect data about disadvantaged elderly in China. Some 324 usable questionnaires were collected from the disadvantaged elderly in the relevant cooperative community old-age care service centers in various cities of China. The method to test the data and validate the hypothesis is to use a partial least squares structural equation model. The results indicate that physical health and living environment are positively correlated with the quality of life of disadvantaged elderly, mental health and social support have no significant impact on quality of life. The physical health and safety of the living environment are the primary concerns of disadvantaged elderly. If these cannot be met, they have no interest in pursuing or focusing on higher-level needs, such as psychological comfort, neighborhood, leisure and entertainment.