Sense of Community and Social Participation Underlying Active Aging Among Senior Housing Residents

Sense of community (SoC) and social participation are considered resources for active aging but there is sparse empirical knowledge on the topic. We investigated these associations among senior housing residents. Data were derived from the cross-sectional BoAktiv senior housing survey (N = 278). Active aging was measured with the (blinded) Active Aging scale including subscales of will, ability, and possibility to act, and the frequency of activity. SoC was assessed with the revised Sense of Community Index and social participation was self-reported. Data were analyzed with linear regression and stratified by sex. We found that in both men and women, SoC and social participation were associated with the will to act and frequency of activity subscores. Additionally, SoC was associated with the active aging total score. The associations were slightly stronger in men than in women. These findings suggest that strengthening social engagement supports senior housing residents' active aging.