The relationship of the perception of neighborhood and social participation of the elderly in Kerman, 2019

Given the importance of healthy and active aging and the key role of elderlychr('39')s social participation, it is required to conduct studies to evaluate the social participation of the elderly. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of social participation of the elderly in Kerman, Iran and its relationship with peoplechr('39')s perception of social and physical characteristics of the neighborhood.

This research was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study. The study population was consisted of people aged 65 years or over who live in Kerman. The studied population size was reported as 38840 based on census results. A total of 380 people were included in the study. The data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was established by face validity and its reliability was determined by internal correlation method. The obtained CVI was 0.93 and the Cronbachchr('39')s alpha was 0.952. The questionnaires were completed by the researcher after obtaining informed consent from the elderly. The data were analyzed by appropriate statistical tests using SPSS v.21 software.

The social participation of the elderly was moderate, which decreased as the age increased (R= -0.496, P < 0.001). The independent variable, trust in the neighbors, was the most important variable affecting the social participation (P < 0.001, Beta = 0.521). Afterwards, the neighborhood facilities (P < 0.002, Beta = 0.461), age (P < 0.001, Beta = 0.493), and the sense of belongingness to the neighborhood (P < 0.001, Beta = 0.253) had the greatest effect on the social participation, respectively.

The results showed that most of the elderly in Kerman had a moderate level of social participation. Among all the predictors of social participation of the elderly, trust, perception of the neighborhood facilities, the sense of belongingness, and age were determined as the most effective variables. Considering the important role of social participation to improve the quality of life of the elderly and to promote health, the findings of this study can be used to optimize the living conditions (social, structural, and physical conditions) of the neighborhood of the elderly.