Journal paper acceptance [Scientific reports]
日本語は英文の後にアレンジ記載しています．
We finally got an acceptance letter from the Scientific Reports.
Identifying the Interactive Pathways Shaping Health Satisfaction among Chinese Older Adults with Tourism Participation
By Yuchi Liu and Kunio Shirahada
Journal: Scientific Reports
-----
Background/Objective
As global aging accelerates, improving older adults’ health satisfaction is a key policy and public health concern. While tourism has been associated with well-being, the pathways through which it is associated with health satisfaction remain unclear. It is not well understood whether social, environmental, and digital factors affect health satisfaction independently or interactively in the context of tourism participation. This study addresses this gap by examining the key determinants of health satisfaction among older adults engaging in tourism and assessing the independent and interactive effects of social relationships, environmental quality, and digital participation.
Methods
This study uses data from 13,346 respondents in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A data-driven approach combining machine learning and regression analysis was applied to identify key predictors of health satisfaction and examine their interaction effects in the context of tourism participation.
Results
The results show that health satisfaction among older adults is primarily associated with self-reported health, while social, environmental, and digital factors are also related to health satisfaction through interaction effects. In particular, social support, particularly marital relationships, is more strongly associated with health satisfaction among individuals with poorer health, whereas environmental factors including air quality and digital engagement are associated with variations in health satisfaction in a context-dependent manner. These findings suggest that health satisfaction is not explained by single factors, but is associated with the combined presence of tourism participation and multiple interacting conditions.
Conclusion
The results indicate that health satisfaction in older adults engaging in tourism is shaped by multiple interacting factors rather than a single linear effect. Social relationships, environmental quality, and digital participation emerge as key determinants, each influencing well-being through distinct pathways. These findings highlight the complex and context-dependent nature of health satisfaction and highlight the importance of personalized interventions and policy strategies to enhance older adults' well-being through tourism-based social and environmental engagement.
Key Words: Health Satisfaction, Older Adults, Environmental Quality, Digital Participation, Tourism Participation, Machine Learning
----
小研究室OGで現在は上海・復旦大学にて研究活動をしているYuchi Liuさんとの共著論文 “Identifying the Interactive Pathways Shaping Health Satisfaction among Chinese Older Adults with Tourism Participation” が，Scientific Reportsに採録されました．本研究は，中国の高齢者を対象に，「観光に参加することが，どのように健康満足度と関わっているのか」を明らかにしようとしたものです．
一般に，旅行や観光は気分転換や楽しみの機会として捉えられます．しかし高齢者にとって観光は，単にどこかへ出かけることにとどまりません．人と会話する，家族や配偶者と時間を過ごす，普段とは異なる環境に身を置く，デジタル機器を使って情報を得るといった，さまざまな経験が重なり合う活動です．
本研究では，中国の大規模調査データ13,346名分を用い，機械学習と統計分析を組み合わせて分析しました．その結果，高齢者の健康満足度には，自分自身が健康だと感じているかどうかが大きく関わる一方で，社会的なつながり，空気などの環境の質，デジタル参加も重要であることが示されました．特に，健康状態が良くない高齢者ほど，配偶者を含む身近な人からの支えが健康満足度に強く関わることがわかりました．
本研究の意義は，高齢者の健康満足度を一つの要因だけで説明するのではなく，人との関係，環境，デジタル活用，観光経験が相互に結びつくものとして捉えた点にあります．観光は，高齢者のウェルビーイングを支える社会的な場にもなり得ることを示しています．