TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Loneliness amongst low-socioeconomic status elderly Singaporeans and its association with perceptions of the neighbourhood environment
JO  - International journal of environmental research and public health
A1  - Wee, Liang En
A1  - Tsang, Tammy Yun Ying
A1  - Yi, Huso
A1  - Toh, Sue Anne
A1  - Lee, Geok Ling
A1  - Yee, Jaime
A1  - Lee, Shannon
A1  - Oen, Kellynn
A1  - Koh, Gerald Choon Huat
SP  - e16060967
EP  - e16060967
VL  - 16
IS  - 6
N2  - In Singapore, a densely urbanised Asian city state, more than 80% of the population stays in public housing estates and the majority (90%) own their own homes. For the needy who cannot afford home ownership, public rental flats are available. We were interested in exploring social-environmental factors that are associated with loneliness among elderly residents of public rental housing in Singapore. We surveyed residents aged ≥60 in two Singapore public housing precincts in 2016. Loneliness was measured using a three-item scale. Sociodemographic information was obtained via standardised questionnaires. We used chi-square to identify associations between loneliness and sociodemographic characteristics, as well as neighbourhood perceptions (safety, convenience and the physical environment), on univariate analysis; and logistic regression for multivariate analysis. The response rate was 62.1% (528/800). On multivariate analysis, staying in a rental flat block was independently associated with loneliness (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 2.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32⁻3.36), as was staying in a poorer physical environment (aOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.15⁻3.22). Although needy Singapore residents share the same built environment as more well-to-do neighbours, differences in the impact of loneliness do exist.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1661-7827
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060967
ID  - ref1
ER  -