Quality of Life, Active Ageing, Social Support and Loneliness in Older Adults Attending Day Centres: A Descriptive...

Background/Objectives: Population ageing has increased the importance of promoting wellbeing and healthy ageing. Gerontological day centres may support the wellbeing of older adults. This study aimed to examine quality of life, active ageing, perceived social support, and loneliness in older adults attending gerontological day centres and to identify the factors associated with quality of life. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 109 participants aged 60-98 years recruited from gerontological day centres in Huelva and Seville, Spain. Data were collected using the WHOQOL-BREF, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the ESTE II Loneliness Scale, and the Active Ageing Scale. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed, followed by multiple linear regression to identify factors associated with quality of life. Results: Mean scores were 14.46 (SD = 1.83) for quality of life, 3.06 (SD = 0.36) for active ageing, 10.14 (SD = 3.00) for social loneliness, and 5.62 (SD = 0.93) for perceived social support. The multiple linear regression model accounted for 30.8% of the variance in quality of life (adjusted R² = 0.288), leaving approximately 69.2% of the variance unexplained by these factors. In this model, active ageing (β = 0.395; p < 0.001), social loneliness (β = -0.246; p = 0.004), and perceived social support (β = 0.188; p = 0.027) were independent predictors of quality of life. Bivariate analyses should be interpreted with caution as they were strictly exploratory. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that active ageing, low social loneliness, and solid perceived social support are the core multivariable predictors of quality of life among older adults in day centres. Secondary exploratory trends suggested minor baseline links with sleep duration, marital status, and employment status. Interventions should prioritize promoting active ageing and strengthening social networks, while future research needs to explore additional covariates to account for the remaining unexplained variance in well-being.