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. 2013 Jan;46(1):28-38.
doi: 10.3961/jpmph.2013.46.1.28. Epub 2013 Jan 31.

The relationship between the social network of community-living elders and their health-related quality of life in Korean province

Jun Tae Lim  1 , Jong-Heon Park, Jin-Seok Lee, Juhwan Oh, Yoon Kim
Affiliations

The relationship between the social network of community-living elders and their health-related quality of life in Korean province

Jun Tae Lim et al. J Prev Med Public Health. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to collect information that will help enhance the social networks and improve the quality of life among elderly people by observing the relationship between their social network and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and by analyzing social network factors affecting HRQoL.

Methods: This study was based on the 2008 Community Health Survey in Yeoncheon County. Three hundred elders were included in the study population. We compared the revised Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-R) score and Euro quality of life-5 dimensions health status index by demographic characteristics and chronic disease prevalence. We analyzed the data using multiple regression and tobit regression by setting the HRQoL as the dependent variable and social network and other characteristics as the independent variables. We analyzed social network factors by using factor analysis.

Results: The LSNS-R score differed significantly according to age and existence of a spouse. According to the results from the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the LSNS-R explained 0.10 of the variance and LSNS-R friends factor explained 0.10 of the variance. The tobit regression indicated that the contribution of the LSNS-R family size factor to the regression coefficient of the independent variable that affected the HRQoL was B(T)=2.96, that of the LSNS-R family frequency factor was B(T)=3.60, and that of LSNS-R friends factor was B(T)=5.41.

Conclusions: Social networks among elderly people had a significant effect on HRQoL and their networks of friends had a relatively higher effect than those of family members.

Keywords: Aged; Health; Quality of life; Social network.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest with the material presented in this paper.

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