Importance of proximity to resources for social participation among older adults in Hong Kong

Abstract

Participation is one major milestone of many frameworks that promote active, successful aging; it is also an important aspect of health and quality of life of the older population. Lack of community mobility and inaccessibility to neighborhood resources can restrict social participation. This study aimed to examine the association between proximity to resources and older adults’ participation in organized social activities. Data for this study came from a community survey of a quota sampling of 378 older adults aged 60 and above in Hong Kong in 2011. Multivariate regression was conducted. “Social participation” was composed from 11 questions asking whether or not the respondent was member or service recipient of organizations such as social welfare or charity agency, civic and political association, educational institution, religious organization, sports/leisure/interest group, etc. “Proximity to resources” was composed based on 19 questions asking whether the respondent found it effortless/ convenient to walk to resources such as park/public resting space, senior/activity centre, community administrative building, religious venue, library, supermarket/grocery store, clinic/hospital, etc. Covariates include age, gender, marital status, education, and difficulty of ADL and IADL. The findings show that proximity to resources in community is significantly associated with participation in social and civic activities ( p =. 01), controlling for all the covariates. The more convenient and accessible of community resources/ amenities, the more engaged of older residents. Results support development of age-friendly and age-supportive environmental modification and interventions on proximity to resources, community mobility, and neighborhood walkability so as to foster social participation in later life.