The association between home ownership and the health of older men: Cross-sectional analysis of the Australian Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between home ownership and health in older men. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 909 community-dwelling Australian men (mean age: 81.3 ± 4.6) from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP, 2012-2013). We considered self-rated health, frailty status, multimorbidity, and anxiety and depressive symptoms which identify different dimensions of health. RESULTS: Most participants were owner-occupiers (89.7%). In age- and country of birth-adjusted analyses, not being an owner-occupier was associated with an increased likelihood of depressive symptoms [prevalence ratio: 1.82, 95% confidence intervals 1.17 to 2.84]. There were no associations between home ownership and other health conditions. CONCLUSION: Lack of home ownership was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, largely explained by poorer social support. Thus, targeting mental health programs at older divorced or separated men who do not own their own home could be an appropriate community-based intervention.