PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The American population is aging at an accelerated pace as the baby boomer generation enters into
late adulthood. By the end of 2030, individuals aged 65+ will account for 20.6% of U.S. population, up from
16.9% in 2020 and 12.4% in 2000. In contrast to the growing aging population is a limited amount of public
recreational resources dedicated to older adults. Given that older adults usually have abundant free time and
quality leisure engagement contributes to healthy aging, there is an urgent need to provide effective leisure
services and programs for healthy aging based on rigorous research. Senior centers represent an important
public and affordable leisure option for older adults. Through a diverse offering of recreational and healthrelated programs, senior centers have the potential to enhance the health and well-being of older adults.
However, there remains a scarcity of research on the impact of senior center on older adults’ health in the
United States. Additionally, there are limited scientific guidelines on how to design the physical (e.g.,
amenities) and social (e.g., programs, staffing) environments at senior centers to effectively promote healthy
aging. Therefore, we propose to examine the impact of senior center use on older adults’ health and how
senior center’s physical and social environmental attributes affect older adults’ health outcomes over time. The
specific aims are: 1) To describe the variation in senior centers’ physical and social environmental attributes in
relation to community-level socioeconomic status over time; 2) To assess the association between senior
center perception, use, and older adults’ physical and mental health over time for different age groups (=74 vs.
=75) and genders; 3) To identify the specific physical and social environmental attributes that optimize health
outcomes for different age groups (=74 vs. =75) and genders. The study aims will be addressed by 2 waves of
panel data collected using surveys and field observation at approximately 20 diverse senior centers in
Southern California. Approximately 75 users will be sampled at each center (i.e., a total of 1,500 users). The
study finding will provide important empirical evidence regarding the impact of senior centers on healthy aging
and potential disparities in aging-related resources to assist in policy and decision making related to aging.
Furthermore, this study will offer direct implications to parks and recreation and public health agencies on how
to design and optimize the amenities and programs/services at senior centers to achieve optimal health
outcomes for older adults.