Does Social Participation Help Reduce Health Inequalities Among the Elderly? Evidence from CHARLS Data

Background: In the context of active aging, social participation of older adults has received widespread attention. Previous research has demonstrated the health-promoting effects of social participation. However, health inequalities in older adults related to social participation require further research. This study examined whether social participation helps to reduce health inequalities in older adults and explored how best to improve health inequalities in older adults in terms of the multiple factors that influence their social participation. Methods: This study used the data of the elderly over the age of 60 from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2013,2015, and2018 to explore health inequalities related to social participation among older adults. By measuring health inequalities among older adults with concentration index and decomposing the concentration index we explored the impact of socio-demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, intergenerational support from children and disability on health inequalities related to social participation. Results: We found that social participation not only promotes the health level of older adults, but also effectively reduces the level of health inequalities among older adults. At present, there are health inequalities in Chinese older population that favor those with higher levels of social participation. Health inequalities related to work status had little change over time, while those related to social interaction levels are gradually improving. The role of work status and level of socialization on health inequalities is influenced by socio-demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, intergenerational support, initial health status and other factors. Conclusion: By analyzing the results of the study, we concluded that social participation helps to reduce health inequalities. Older adults should be encouraged to be more involved in social work at a younger age and more involved in social activities at an older age. Male older adults should be more involved in social activities, and society should pay more attention to the labor and employment security of women and elderly people with low education. contributing to the reduction of health inequalities. Policies should tend to promote higher level of socialization among the older adults in the central and western parts of the China. Families should be more encouraged to adopt older adults’ participation in intergenerational care.