Correlation of social support and health in an elderly population in Iran

Background and aimAged population is increasing in Iran, thus attention to elderly people’s social needs and relationships are important. These needs have direct effect on their health and well-being. The aim of this study was to determine correlation of social support and health in an elderly population in Iran.Materials and methodsIn this descriptive –correlational study, 180 elderly people were selected by purposive sampling method. A questionnaire with 3 parts: 1- sociodemographic characteristics 2- social support scale 3- Short Form-36(SF-36) Health Survey was used for data collection. Content and face validity was used in this questionnaire and reliability of the instrument was determined by internal consistency (I= 0.91) and test- retest method (K= 0.88) respectively. Data were analyzed with SPSS.FindingsResults showed that the highest and lowest aspects of the SF-36 were social function (82/5%) and physical function (68/75%). Most subjects (74.4%) had good health and just 4.4 percent of them had poor health. In addition, results showed that both genders had strong family support. Furthermore, 61/1% of elders had strong and only 1/7% of them had weak social support. In general, there was a significant correlation between social support and general health and this correlation in vitality dimension was higher than aspects of health status.ConclusionFindings showed that having social support is associated with better health and well-being among older adults. Based on the results of this study, health professionals can enhance social relationship.