Family function and its influencing factors among urban and rural elderlies in Hebei province

Objective To examine the status of family function and its influencing factors among urban and rural elderly residents in Hebei province and to provide envidences for improving quality of life in the elderlies.Methods Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 6 173 residents aged 60 years and above from urban and rural areas in Hebei province for a questionnaire survey.Results Among the elderlies,only 13.64% reported good family function and 86.36% reported common or bad family function.The urban elderlies had lower Family Assessment Device(FAD) scores than rural elderlies in problem solving(11.24±2.80 vs. 11.83±2.39),communication(18.83±3.37 vs. 19.69±2.97),roles(26.34±2.45 vs. 27.10±2.45),affective responsiveness(13.69±2.45 vs. 14.25±2.23),affective involvement(16.94±3.20 vs. 17.28±3.09),behaviour control(21.95±2.60 vs. 22.31± 2.49),and general functioning(24.65±4.48 vs. 25.95±3.96)(all P=0.000).Multivariate linear regression analyses indicated the factors influencing the 7 dimensions of family function among the elderlies included living area,age,educational level,marital status,number of children,health condition,activity of daily life(ADL),whether being ill abed,monthly income,type of medical insurance,status of endowment insurance,and debt condition.Conclusion The family function level of urban and rural elderly people in Hebei province is low and its influencing factors are complex.Comprehensive measures need to be considered to solve the problem.