abstract: 'This article evaluates the influence of local district conditions on

  subjective quality of life of older South African adults. Policymakers

  increasingly recognize that ``successful{''''} aging policies must not

  only address physical health needs but also factors that influence

  subjective well-being.

  To investigate the influence of area-level distribution of ``public

  goods{''''} on well-being in a low- and middle-income setting, nationally

  representative WHO-Study of Global AGEing and Adult Health (WHO-SAGE)

  survey data is combined with district-level data that captures built

  resources and health system distribution. Multilevel regression modeling

  is utilized to explore how community context, including built resources

  and health infrastructure quality, influence older persons'' quality of

  life and how chronic health conditions may moderate this relationship

  while controlling for important individual characteristics.

  While controlling for individual and district level factors, it is found

  community level provision of built resources of basic services (i.e.,

  water, sanitation, electricity, housing) has a modest but significant

  impact on older persons'' subjective well-being. Further, this effect on

  older persons'' perceptions of quality of life is moderated by individual

  chronic health status; individuals with a chronic health condition do

  not receive an equivalent benefit from district built condition like

  those without an illness do.

  This work adds to the literature concerning the effect of environments

  in low- and middle-income countries on older adults'' subjective

  well-being. It also adds to the growing literature on the complex

  relationship between subjective well-being and health in diverse

  contexts.'
affiliation: 'Ralston, M (Corresponding Author), 201 Bowen Hall,456 Hardy Rd, Mississippi
  State, MS 39862 USA.

  Ralston, Margaret, Mississippi State Univ, Dept Sociol, Mississippi State, MS 39762
  USA.'
author: Ralston, Margaret
author-email: mr1636@msstate.edu
author_list:
- family: Ralston
  given: Margaret
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1093/geront/gnx091
eissn: 1758-5341
files: []
issn: 0016-9013
journal: GERONTOLOGIST
keywords: Community context; Health; South Africa; Subjective well-being
keywords-plus: 'SELF-RATED HEALTH; QOL 8-ITEM INDEX; INCOME INEQUALITY; ADULT HEALTH;

  PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES; UNITED-STATES; PRIMARY-CARE; WHOQOL-BREF; US

  STATES; DEPRESSION'
language: English
month: FEB
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '66'
pages: 111-120
papis_id: 9d52c0c21fcee20aacdb380d38f54f82
ref: Ralston2018roleolder
times-cited: '20'
title: 'The Role of Older Persons'' Environment in Aging Well: Quality of Life, Illness,
  and Community Context in South Africa'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000423309900012
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '23'
volume: '58'
web-of-science-categories: Gerontology
year: '2018'