The Effects of Age-friendly Environments on Health Promotion Behaviors Among Elderly People Living Alone in Community: Focusing on Mediating Effects of Social Support and Sense of Coherence

Abstract

Based on Lawton & Nahemow's Person-Environment fit theory and Antonovsky’s Salutogenesis theory, we examined the level of age-friendly environment for elderly people living alone, social support and a sense of coherence for their impact on health promotion behaviors, and tested a mediating effect of social support and a sense of coherence for the relationship between the level of age-friendly environment and health promotion behaviors. For this purpose, we referenced to a survey conducted by National Research Foundation as part of the project ‘Developing Living and Welfare Integrated Service Tailored to Elderly People through Expanded Living Lab.’ Among the survey participants, we identified elderly people living alone, and used data of 477 people for the final analysis in consideration of missing value and test of normality. The following describes the analysis results. First, an examination of direct influence among the main variables showed that the level of age-friendly environment directly affected social support and health promotion behaviors, and social support directly affected a sense of coherence and health promotion behaviors. Also, a sense of coherence directly affected health promotion behaviors. Second, we tested both individual and dual mediating effects, and observed a meaningful individual mediating effect for the path from the level of age-friendly environment to health promotion behaviors via social support. Also, the level of age-friendly environment showed dual mediating effects on health promotion behaviors via social support and a sense of coherence. Based on these findings, we provide political implications as well as theoretical and practical suggestions.