The Age-Friendly Community Environment Factors Contributing to Life Satisfaction of Older Adults Living Alone
Title
The Age-Friendly Community Environment Factors Contributing to Life Satisfaction of Older Adults Living Alone
Alternative Author(s)
Lee, Hyunmin
; Choi, Mi Sun
Keyword
Older Adults Living Alone
; Age-Friendly Community Environment
; Life Satisfaction
; Hierarchical Regression Analysis
Publication Year
2022-06-30
Publisher
Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs
Citation
Health and Social Welfare Review Vol.42 No.2, pp.262-279
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors in the community environment which affect the life satisfaction of the growing number of older individuals living in single-person households. The raw data from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans was utilized and responses of 3,112 older adult single-person households were investigated. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed by distinguishing the community environments into three categories of World Health Organization’s age-friendly environments: physical, social, and service environments. The results showed that the perception of the physical environment (housing, living facilities, and space) was positively associated with life satisfaction among older adults living alone. Second, the social environment (social involvement, neighbor interaction, respect for older individuals, and political activity) was positively related to life satisfaction. Third, perceived service environment (difficulty utilizing service) was negatively related to life satisfaction. Based on the findings, we proposed practical and policy suggestions for enhancing life satisfaction of single-person older adult households.