Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with help-seeking preference and tap characteristics of older adults with low help-seeking preference.
Methods: Questionnaire surveys distributed directly to mailboxes of 488 of 508 elderly people living at home in six districts in town B, prefecture A were collected by return mail. Attributes, help-seeking preference, life events (marital status, hospital visits, hospitalization history, health checkups, prior assistance experience), social support status, social frailty items (tendency to seclude oneself, social isolation), subjective sense of health, and health literacy were tested.
Results: Of the 488 questionnaires distributed, 144 responded (29.5% response rate). Of these, 137(male:female=63:74; Age mean=75.6y, SD=6.6) were analyzed. T-tests and one-way ANOVA showed gender, living orientation, and confinement tendency as variables related to help-seeking preference. Partial correlation analyses revealed that social support, social isolation, and health literacy had significant partial associations. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis extracted gender and confinement tendency as influencing factors.
Conclusions: The variables related to help-seeking preference among the elderly were gender, living arrangements, tendency to seclude themselves, social support (instrumental support, emotional support), social isolation, and health literacy.
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