Table 3 Factors associated with social participation among elders from multi-level proportional odds regression analyses: unadjusted (OR) and adjusted (AOR) odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and probability values (p-values) (n = 1028)

1.40(0.95,2.06)

0.090

2.17(1.43, 3.29)

< 0.001

4.45(2.71, 7.32)

< 0.001

 Plantation

1.00

1.00

 Village

18.9 (12.5, 28.5)

< 0.001

7.5 (3.6,15.5)

< 0.001

 Mixed Community

1.12 (0.68, 1.86)

0.646

1.86 (0.86, 4.06)

0.116

 60–69 years

1.00

1.00

 70–79 years

0.85 (0.61, 1.18)

0.328

0.78 (0.55, 1.12)

0.182

 80 or more

0.38(0.21, 0.69)

0.001

0.44 (0.22, 0.86)

0.017

Ethnicity (Sinhala)

5.55 (3.23, 9.57)

< 0.001

3.95 (2.18, 7.18)

< 0.001

Marital status (married)

2.31 (1.69, 3.16)

< 0.001

1.49 (1.03, 2.16)

0.033

 Lives alone

1.00

1.00

 Couple living together

1.54 (1.04, 2.29)

0.033

0.85 (0.41, 1.74)

0.653

 1–3 other members^a

1.06 (0.79, 1.44)

0.688

0.83 (0.43, 1.57)

0.561

 5 or more members

0.80 (0.59, 1.07)

0.132

0.73 (0.38, 1.38)

0.328

 No formal schooling

1.00

1.00

 1–5

0.85 (0.63, 1.14)

0.266

0.97 (0.64, 1.47)

0.891

 6–12

1.86 (1.36, 2.55)

< 0.001

1.02 (0.65, 1.61)

0.930

Engagement in paid work

2.40 (1.76, 3.28)

< 0.001

1.57 (1.11, 2.21)

0.010

Requiring help with ADL/s^b

0.46 (0.31,0.74)

0.001

0.74 (0.46, 1.22)

0.240

Concern about falling at social events^c (quite or very concerned)

0.83 (0.59, 1.16)

0.283

0.91 (0.61,1.35)

0.638

Vision quality, self-reported (poor or blind)

0.67 (0.50, 0.89)

0.006

0.86 (0.63, 1.17)

0.333

Depression^d

0.71(0.52, 0.98)

0.035

0.85 (0.60, 1.20)

0.354

Health Status (High)^e

1.63 (1.23, 2.17)

0.001

1.47 (1.07, 2.02)

0.017

Sociability score^f

1.06(1.00, 1.13)

0.052

1.03 (0.97, 1.10)

0.354

Satisfaction with access to family and friends (High)

1.12 (0.80, 1.56)

0.526

1.08 (0.74, 1.56)

0.686