Fudan University Reports Findings in Environmental Factors (Relationship between person, environmental factors, and activities of daily living performance among physically disabled older adults living at home: a structural equation model): Environment – Environmental Factors

2023 MAY 24 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Ecology Daily News -- New research on Environment - Environmental Factors is the subject of a report. According to news reporting out of Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Older adults with physical disability need long-term services and support, which incur enormous costs. However, supportive environments may reduce disability and promote aging in place.”

Funders for this research include Shanghai Office of Philosophy and Social Science, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Fudan University, “It is unclear how the physical and social environment affect different types of functional impairments and influence the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) in physically disabled older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between person, environmental factors, and ADL performance among physically disabled older adults living at home. This was a cross-sectional study. Using long-term care insurance claims data from a pilot city in China, we used a structural equation model to assess the potential paths among person, environmental factors, and ADL performance. Education and income had different influences on the social environment and physical environment. The functional impairments had significant effects on ADL performance, either directly or through physical environment (with handrails) and social environment (family support).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The present findings offer crucial evidence for understanding the interactions between a person and the environment, as well as their influence on physical ADLs, suggesting the importance of a supportive environment and a subpopulation-targeting strategy for disabled older adults.”

For more information on this research see: Relationship between person, environmental factors, and activities of daily living performance among physically disabled older adults living at home: a structural equation model. BMC Geriatrics, 2023;23(1):285. BMC Geriatrics can be contacted at: Bmc, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9XW, England. (BioMed Central - http://www.biomedcentral.com/; BMC Geriatrics - http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcgeriatr/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Hong Liang, School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, 220 Handan Rd., Yangpu District, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of China. Additional authors for this research include Shuai Fang and Yan Liang.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04000-2. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal BMC Geriatrics is: Bmc, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9XW, England.

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