Examining the Disparities in Senior Center Built Environment
Hui “Jimmy” Xie, Cinthia Camacho, Maryna Bankovska, Xiao Zhang, Bing Han, Deborah Cohen

TL;DR
This study finds that senior centers in wealthier communities have better built environments, including safer and more well-maintained facilities.
Contribution
The study introduces a new assessment tool and provides empirical evidence of disparities in senior center environments linked to socioeconomic factors.
Findings
Senior centers in higher-income communities had better facility conditions and fewer safety issues.
Over half of the centers had designated rooms for meals, games, arts, and computer use.
Median household income was positively correlated with the quality of the built environment.
Abstract
Built environment has substantial influence on older adults’ health and wellbeing. Despite that, there is a scarcity of research on the built environment of senior centers, an important place for many older adults to socialize and engage in leisure activities. This study examined the disparities in the built environment of senior centers in 24 communities in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Each center was jointly assessed by 2–3 trained research assistants in 2023 using the Senior Center Assessment Tool (v1.0), covering the access, exterior, and interior of the center. Additionally, statistics about communities’ socioeconomic condition were retrieved from US Census Bureau database. On average, the study centers had 8.5 rooms (range: 1–19) with multi-purpose room being the most common type of room. Over half the centers had designated rooms/spaces for congregated meals, tabletop games and…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAssistive Technology in Communication and Mobility · Technology Use by Older Adults · Urban Green Space and Health
