Search

Background: High levels of alcohol consumption have been shown to be related to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic disease and is an important variable in the global burden of disease. Purpose: This study explored the relationship between alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults in mainland China. Methods: Participants included 7601 people aged 60 or older who participated in the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) was used. Results: Findings indicate that men have a decreased risk of experiencing depressive symptoms by 47% when controlling for other independent variables. People living only with a spouse were less likely to experience depressive symptoms compared to people living alone. Discussion: The findings have important implications in educating Chinese about alcohol and the relationship between alcohol and disease-related variables. Translation to Health Education Practice: The results of this study may assist those developing and delivering alcohol Health Education and health promotion programs in China to focus on the relevant predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors influencing alcohol consumption.

Objectives: With over one-fifth of the world's older population, shrinking family size and increasing number of women in the workforce, elder care is a growing challenge for families in mainland China. This study explored the moderating effect of working status and gender on caregiving time and depressive symptoms among adult children caregivers in mainland China. Method: Participants were 660 adult children caregivers from a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 45 + (N = 13,204) who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) Wave 2 (2013). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the direct effect of caregiving time and the moderating effects of working status and gender on symptoms of depression among caregivers. Results: Significant main effect between caregiving time and depressive symptoms was found controlling for demographic covariates. The three-way interaction between working status, gender and caregiving time was also significant. Working status and gender moderate the effect of caregiving time on depressive symptoms: among employed men and women caregivers, spending more hours providing care predicted fewer depression symptoms. Unemployed men caregivers who spent more hours providing care showed highest level of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The relationship between caregiving time and depressive symptoms was moderated by working status and gender. Future research is needed to explore factors that influence changes in caregivers' health and well-being over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]