Neighborhood Disorder, Perceived Social Cohesion, and Social Participation Among Older Americans.

OBJECTIVE: This research explores whether physical neighborhood disorder or perceived social cohesion is associated with participation in social activities among older Americans (age 65+).

METHOD: Using the first wave of the National Health & Aging Trends Study (NHATS; N = 6,383), a series of logistic regression models were created to assess the odds of participation.

RESULTS: Low social cohesion was associated with decreased odds of visiting friends and family (odds ratio [OR] = 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.52, 0.82]) and participating in organizations (OR = 0.68; 95% CI = [0.53, 0.88]). Presence of neighborhood disorder was associated with decreased odds of visiting friends and family (OR = 0.62; 95% CI = [0.47, 0.82]), participating in organizations (OR = 0.66; 95% CI = [0.48, 0.89]), and going out for enjoyment (OR = 0.68; 95% CI = [0.53, 0.86]). Physical capacity and activity value moderated the relationship between neighborhood disorder/cohesion and attending religious services.

DISCUSSION: Improving neighborhood disorder and social cohesion may increase social participation among older adults.