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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 76(12)

The impact of hydrological wellness design on the psychological health and social interaction of rural elderly people

Hong Li https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9713-0474 A B , YaLong Xing B * , Zhenyi Chen C * and Hongling Jiang A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Guangzhou Huashang College, Guangzhou, 511300, PR China. Email: lihong576@gdhsc.edu.cn; jianghl@gdhsc.edu.cn

B Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau, Macau, Taipa, 999078, PR China.

C Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 329000, PR China.

* Correspondence to: xingyalong@cityu.edu.mo, U22092110191@cityu.edu.mo

Handling Editor: Wan Zhanhong

Marine and Freshwater Research 76, MF25073 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF25073
Submitted: 2 April 2025  Accepted: 15 July 2025  Published: 14 August 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

The increase in China’s aging population raises health and social isolation issues for rural elderly. Hydrological wellness design, integrating natural hydrology and wellness, may benefit their wellbeing, but its specific effects and mechanisms on this group are understudied.

Aims

This study explores hydrological wellness design’s impact on the rural elderly’s psychological health and social interaction, focusing on relationships between its perception, health response and multimodal interactive perception, and the latter’s mediating role.

Methods

Data were collected from rural elderly people aged 60 and above in Zengcheng District, Guangzhou, through a questionnaire survey. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to test the reliability and validity of the scales, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to empirically analyse the path relationships between variables.

Key results

Hydrological wellness design perception positively correlated with health response (path coefficient = 0.241, P < 0.05), and influenced it through multimodal interactive perception (path coefficient = 0.178, P < 0.05), which had a partial mediating effect (0.049, P < 0.05), with multisensory experiences indirectly enhancing elderly wellbeing.

Conclusions

Hydrological wellness design improves the rural elderly’s psychological health and social interaction by multimodal interactive perception, supporting the ‘environmental perception–interactive experience–health response’ pathway.

Implications

This study informs rural wellness design, emphasising hydrological elements and multisensory experiences. It guides policymakers, designers and health managers in promoting wellbeing for the elderly.

Keywords: aging, elderly-friendly community, health behaviours, healthy ageing, hydrological health care, multimodal interactive perception, rural areas, water ecological design.

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