• Yu Chen, Alison E While, and Allan Hicks.
• School of Nursing, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
• Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2015 Apr 1; 15 (4): 457-64.

AimSelf-rated health is a reliable and important health measure related to older people's mortality and quality of life. Few studies regarding the self-rated health of older people living alone have been carried out in Mainland China. The present study aimed to investigate the self-rated health of older people living alone in Shanghai and its associated factors.MethodsA stratified random cluster sample of 521 community-dwelling older people living alone in Shanghai completed structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. The data collected included self-rated health, physical health, depression, functional ability, physical activity, health services satisfaction, loneliness, social support and sociodemographic variables.ResultsMore than two-fifths of the participants (43.2%) reported good self-rated health. Multinomial logistic regression analyses found that chronic disease, acute disease, functional ability, satisfaction with health services, depression and age were predictors of self-rated health.ConclusionsIdentifying factors associated with the self-rated health of older people living alone could inform the delivery of appropriate health and social care interventions to promote older people's health.© 2014 Japan Geriatrics Society.

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