The Influence of Rural Environment on Social Adaptation and the Health Status of Rural Older Adults in China: Evidence From the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey

ABSTRACT Amid the backdrop of rural revitalization and a rapidly aging population, the health status of rural older adults in China has become a matter of growing social concern. While there is a significant correlation between the rural environment and the health status of rural older adults, less attention has been given to the underlying mechanisms by which the rural environment influences their health. Drawing on data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS), this study explores the complex relationships between the rural environment, social adaptation, physical activity, social participation, and the health status of rural older adults, and analyzes the differences across various age groups. The results indicate that the rural environment exerts a significant positive effect on both social adaptation and the health status of rural older adults. At the same time, social adaptation is a mediating variable of the rural environment's influence on the health status of rural older adults, namely that the rural environment partially enhances the health status of rural older adults by improving social adaptation capacity, while physical activity and social participation did not show a significant mediating effect. Additionally, the influence of the rural environment on both social adaptation and the health status of rural older adults increases with age, and the mediating role of social adaptation similarly becomes more pronounced with aging. This study highlights the differential impacts of the rural environment on social adaptation and the health status of rural older adults across age groups, offering a scientific basis for developing more targeted health intervention strategies for older adults.