Present status of happiness in urban elderly people and the influencing factors

Objective:To investigate the present status of well-being in the elderly in a city and the influencing factors.Methods:The elderly people in 4 communities in Yuhui District, Bengbu were randomly selected by optional sampling as study objects.All the subjects were surveyed by questionnaires by the Ministry of Health for the special group and ordinary gemology data.Results:Twenty-nine point five percent of them felt very happy, 45.1% happy, 22.7% sometimes happy and sometimes not, 1.5% happy occasionally and 1.1% unhappy.The happiness of the elderly was positively correlated with their appetite, sleeping quality, personal economic status and relation with the family, friends and neighbors(P<0.05 to P<0.01), whereas it had no correlation with the education background(P>0.05).Conclusions:The elderly in the city have strong sense of happiness, which is mainly influenced by their economic condition, appetite, sleeping quality and social relations.The well-being of the elderly could be increased by means of mobilizing every social field such as the government to enhance the social support, improve the cultural atmosphere and medical care of the community and execute psychological interventions.