How do individual, social, environmental, and resilience factors shape self-reported health among community-dwelling older adults: a qualitative case study

Abstract

Background: While older adults are living longer, they often face health challenges, including living with multiple chronic conditions. How older adults respond and adapt to the challenges of multimorbidity to maintain health and wellness is of increasing research interest. Self-reported health, emerging as an important measure of health status, has broad clinical and research applications, and has been described as a predictor of future morbidity and mortality. However, there is limited understanding of how individual, social, and environmental factors, including those related to multimorbidity resilience, influence self-reported health among community-dwelling older adults (≥ 65 years). Methods: Informed by the Lifecourse Model of Multimorbidity Resilience, this explanatory case study research explored older adults’ perceptions of how these factors influence self-reported health. Data were generated through semi-structured telephone interviews with community-dwelling older adults. Results: Fifteen older adults participated in this study. Four key themes, specific to how these older adults describe individual, social, environmental, and multimorbidity resilience factors as shaping their self-reported health, were identified: 1) health is a responsibility – “What I have to do”; 2) health is doing what you want to do despite health-related limitations – “I do what I want to do”; 3) the application and activation of personal strengths – “The way you think”, and; 4) through comparison and learning from others – “Looking around at other people”. These themes, while distinct, were found to be highly interconnected with recurring concepts such as independence, control, and psychological health and well-being, demonstrating the nuance and complexity of self-reported health. Conclusions: Findings from this study advance understanding of the factors that influence assessments of health among community-dwelling older adults. Self-reported health remains a highly predictive measure of future morbidity and mortality in this population, however, there is a need for future research to contribute additional understanding in order to shape policy and practice.