Research On The Influence Of Non-cognitive Ability On The Physical Health Of The Elderly

Since entering the 21st century,the proportion of the elderly population in China has been rising,and the resulting problems such as the increased burden of social pension and the increase of government welfare expenditure have gradually been taken seriously by the government.Among them,the health level of the elderly population is an important aspect of widespread concern.The "14th Five-Year Plan for Healthy Aging" issued by China clearly points out that to "coordinate the promotion of the Healthy China strategy and the national strategy on population aging,constantly meet the health needs of the elderly,and steadily improve the health level of the elderly".Improving the health and well-being of the elderly has become an important issue for China to actively respond to the aging population.From the perspective of the promotion process of healthy aging,in the past,China usually focused the implementation on the construction of exogenous systems or policies,and did not pay enough attention to the endogenous motivation of health improvement of the elderly.There is little domestic literature linking non-cognitive abilities to the physiological health of older adults and exploring the health effects of non-cognitive abilities.Therefore,it is important to clearly understand the current situation of non-cognitive abilities in China’s elderly population and conduct research on non-cognitive ability enhancement strategies to improve the health inequalities of the elderly population and achieve the goal of "Healthy China 2030".Drawing on existing research,this paper uses cross-sectional data from the 2017-2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(CLHLS),based on the Big Five Personality Scale to generate a composite index reflecting the non-cognitive abilities of the elderly.Firstly,this paper measures the non-cognitive abilities and physiological health status of elderly in China,and shows the correlation between non-cognitive abilities and physiological health in the form of a graph.Secondly,we use Ordered Logit model to conduct an empirical test on the effect of non-cognitive abilities on the physiological health status of the elderly,and find that non-cognitive abilities have a significant positive effect on the physiological health status of the elderly,i.e.,the elderly with high non-cognitive abilities usually have the characteristics of optimism,openness and sociability,and are less likely to have impaired self-care ability and living ability,and have better physiological health.Thirdly,to ensure the reliability of the findings,this paper uses instrumental variables,propensity score matching(PSM),and improving the reliability of samples to conduct endogeneity tests,and confirms the robustness of the regression results by replacing the dependent variables and independent variables.Fourthly,this paper also examines the group heterogeneity of the effects of non-cognitive abilities by conducting sub sample regressions from four perspectives: gender,household,age,and education level,and finds that there are differences in the degree of effects of non-cognitive abilities on the physiological health of older age groups with different characteristics.Finally,a mechanism analysis was conducted to propose that exercise plays a significant mediating role in the impact of non-cognitive abilities on the physiological health of the elderly.In order to comprehensively cultivate and improve the non-cognitive abilities of the elderly in China and improve their health status,this paper puts forward relevant suggestions based on the above theoretical and empirical analysis results.First of all,the government should change the policy orientation,improve the laws and regulations on the cultivation of non-cognitive abilities of the elderly,and promote the overall improvement of non-cognitive abilities in the whole life cycle.Secondly,we should create a diversified social environment,give the elderly appropriate emotional support and spiritual comfort,and ensure the effective supply of health industry services and products.Finally,while playing the role of family,the elderly themselves should also praise the importance of non-cognitive abilities and consciously cultivate non-cognitive level in social activities participation and group interaction.