Factors shaping social participation among community-dwelling older adults in China: A mixed-methods study from the perspectives of older adults and community workers.

Health-Related Social Media Use and Health-Promoting Behaviors Among Community-Engaged, Functionally Independent Older Adults in Rural Thai Communities

Background: Health-promoting behavior is central to healthy aging, and digital platforms are an increasingly important channel through which older adults encounter health information. This study examined demographic, health-status, and health-related social media use factors associated with health-promoting behavior among older adults in Samut Songkhram Province, Thailand, a small province with a disproportionately large share of older residents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 402 community-engaged, functionally independent adults aged ≥ 60 years, recruited through a mixed multistage procedure with convenience recruitment at the individual level in the final stage, at community gathering points. Health-related social media use (22 items, four proposed content domains) and health-promoting behavior (31 items, six domains, adapted from the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II) were measured using structured, pilot-tested questionnaires. Associations were assessed with Spearman correlation and simultaneous multiple linear regression. Because regression diagnostics indicated heteroscedasticity, HC3 heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors, 95% confidence intervals, and p-values were used as the primary regression inference. Results: Overall health-related social media use (M = 2.58, SD = 0.55) and health-promoting behavior (M = 3.34, SD = 0.48) were both classified as “high” under the pre-specified four-band descriptive convention. The adjusted model explained 54.65% of the variance in health-promoting behavior (R2 = 0.5465; adjusted R2 = 0.5349). Under HC3 robust inference, overall health-related social media use (β = 0.715, p < 0.001), marital status, bachelor’s-degree-or-higher education (inverse association), chronic condition status, and average monthly income (small inverse association, p = 0.032) were independently associated with the outcome. In a domain-specific sensitivity model, general/recreational use (B = 0.439, HC3 95% CI: 0.345 to 0.533, p < 0.001) and diverse types of use (B = 0.112, HC3 95% CI: 0.040 to 0.184, p = 0.002) were independently associated with health-promoting behavior, whereas duration of use and interpersonal health communication were not. Conclusions: Greater overall health-related social media use was associated with health-promoting behavior among community-engaged, functionally independent older adults; however, the domain-specific pattern suggests that this association primarily reflects broader digital/social engagement rather than specifically health-focused social media activity. Given the cross-sectional design, weak support for the proposed social-media subdomain structure, and the possibility of common-method variance and construct overlap, the findings should be regarded as hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in longitudinal or intervention studies using psychometrically refined measures.

Resilience, Social Participation Including Mutual Support, and Subjective Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Highlights What are the main findings? In this study sample, resilience was positively associated with subjective quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. In this study sample, older adults with higher levels of social participation involving mutual support had significantly higher resilience and subjective quality of life. What are the implications of the main findings? Psychological resources such as resilience may contribute more strongly to subjective quality of life than social participation including mutual support. Community-based interventions should promote both resilience and social participation to support healthy ageing. Abstract Background: Population ageing has increased the importance of maintaining the quality of life (QOL) of community-dwelling older adults. Resilience and social participation are considered important determinants of well-being in later life. However, little is known about how social participation involving mutual support relates to subjective QOL in Japanese community settings. This study examined associations between resilience and social participation, including mutual support and subjective QOL, among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in December 2021 among community-dwelling older adults in Japan. The study sample mainly comprised socially active older adults recruited through senior citizen clubs. Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 434 individuals aged 65 years and older, and 258 valid responses were analysed. Subjective QOL was assessed using the Subjective QOL Scale, resilience using the Resilience Scale for Older Adults, and social participation, including mutual support, using a composite score based on neighbourhood relationships and participation in community activities. Results: Subjective QOL was positively correlated with resilience (ρ = 0.475, p < 0.001) and social participation including mutual support (r = 0.163, p = 0.009). After adjustment for self-rated health, the number of outpatient visits per month, and the number of daily medications, the association between subjective QOL and social participation including mutual support was no longer significant (pr = 0.104, p = 0.096), while resilience remained significantly associated with subjective QOL (pr = 0.417, p < 0.001). Participants with higher levels of social participation had significantly higher subjective QOL and resilience scores than those with lower levels of participation. Conclusions: In this study sample, resilience was more strongly associated with subjective QOL than social participation including mutual support. These findings highlight the importance of individualised community-based approaches that address both psychological resilience and opportunities for social participation when promoting well-being among older adults.

How Community Public Space Promotes Older Adults’ Social Health: An Intra-Community Study of the Mediating Role of Social Activities

Against the background of healthy aging, age-friendly communities, and social sustainability, community public spaces are important everyday settings for older adults’ outdoor activities and social connections. However, it remains insufficiently explained how public space environments are translated into social health benefits through specific social activities. From an environment-behavior-health perspective, this study examines Chongwen Jincheng Community in Nanjing through a concentrated sample design within a single large community. Based on 217 valid questionnaires from residents aged 60 years and above, an AMOS latent-variable structural equation model was constructed, and a standardized composite-variable Bootstrap model was used for robustness checking. The results show that the community public space environment has a significant total association with older adults’ social health. After social activities are included, the direct associations between traffic convenience, environmental comfort and safety, service facility supportiveness, and social health become non-significant, whereas multiple indirect paths through social activities remain significant, supporting a full mediation pattern in this case study. Traffic convenience is mainly linked to social health through passive and brief social interaction, environmental comfort and safety through brief and sustained social interaction, and service facility supportiveness through passive and sustained social interaction. These findings suggest that, within the cross-sectional SEM framework, the social health value of community public spaces is mainly linked to everyday encounters, weak-tie contact, brief communication, and sustained participation.

Perceived Social Isolation and Subjective Quality of Life: The Moderating Role of Participation in the Senior Employment and Social Activity Support Program (SESAP)

This study examined whether participation in Korea's Senior Employment and Social Activity Support Program (SESAP) moderates the association between perceived social isolation and subjective quality of life (QOL) among older adults. As social isolation emerges as a policy concern in super-aged societies, whether large-scale employment programs can serve socially isolated older adults remains an open question. Data from the first wave of the Korean Seniors' Work and Life (KSWL) panel, comprising 6,000 adults aged 60 74, were analyzed using weighted hierarchical multiple regression, followed by simple-slope and design-based sensitivity analyses, controlling for demographic characteristics, subjective health, household financial satisfaction, and general social participation. Perceived social isolation was negatively associated with subjective QOL. SESAP participation moderated this association: the negative association was approximately 32% weaker among participants (B = −.192) than among nonparticipants (B = −.282), and the positive association between SESAP participation and subjective QOL was evident primarily among older adults with average or high levels of perceived social isolation. Although modest in magnitude, the buffering association was robust to a design-based sensitivity analysis incorporating the stratified sampling design. These findings suggest that SESAP may function not only as an employment intervention but also as a protective social resource, and that program evaluation should consider its capacity to protect vulnerable groups rather than average effects alone. Incorporating perceived social isolation into participant assessment and strengthening linkages with community-based support services may enhance the program's potential protective role for socially isolated older adults.

Leisure, Community Participation and Active Ageing: A Case Study in Porto

Moving with meaning: community line dancing, health-motivated engagement, and belonging among older adults in Texas.

BACKGROUND As the U.S. population ages, identifying accessible, community-based approaches that promote older adults' physical and psychosocial well-being is increasingly important. Recent studies have shown that dance interventions can improve physical fitness and cardiovascular health among older adults. Line dancing, a widely practiced group activity, may offer benefits that extend beyond recreation. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Sense of Community (SOC) framework, this study explored how older adults experience line dancing as a form of health-motivated engagement. METHODS Eight older adults (aged 65-83; seven women and one man) who regularly attended community line dancing classes at two senior centers in College Station, Texas, participated in semi-structured, in-person interviews. Data were analyzed using a phronetic iterative approach. RESULTS Six themes were identified for autonomy, three for competence, and three for relatedness across individual and community levels. Participants experienced autonomy through self-directed engagement in dance, including lifelong passion, ongoing learning, and leadership within dance groups. Competence was reflected in skill confidence and bodily self-awareness, supported by peer recognition and opportunities to contribute to the group. Relatedness emerged through collective emotional resonance, interpersonal bonding, and a strong sense of community belonging. Together, these experiences fostered vitality, purpose, and sustained participation, demonstrating how line dancing fulfilled older adults' basic psychological needs while strengthening community connections. CONCLUSIONS Community line dancing supports self-determined, socially connected, and adaptive engagement among older adults. By integrating SDT and SOC, this study provides insights into how community-based dance programs can promote healthy aging and social well-being.