# The association between community age-friendly facility diversity, types, leisure activities and frailty in Chinese older adults

## TL;DR

This study explores how different types of age-friendly community facilities in China affect the frailty of older adults, finding that certain facilities are linked to lower frailty levels.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel analysis of how specific age-friendly facility types and their diversity influence frailty through leisure activity participation.

## Key findings

- Higher community age-friendly facility diversity is positively correlated with frailty, mediated by leisure activity participation.
- Senior libraries, communal dining halls, and health service centers are associated with lower frailty levels.
- The mediating effect of leisure activities on frailty decreases with increasing age.

## Abstract

Against the backdrop of a progressively aging population, frailty among older adults in China has become a major societal concern. While existing research has substantiated the association between community environment and health, studies examining the relationship from the perspective of the diversity and typology of age-friendly community facilities remain relatively scarce.

Drawing on the 2023 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) data, this study selected a sample of 10,453 older adults and employed structural equation modeling to analyze the correlations among the diversity and types of age-friendly community facilities, and the frailty of older adults.

The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between the community age-friendly facility diversity and frailty among older adults, which is largely mediated by leisure activity participation. Further analysis indicates differential associations between specific facility types and frailty: communities with senior libraries, communal dining halls, and health and wellness service centers are associated with significantly lower levels of frailty, whereas senior activity rooms are correlated with increased frailty. Moreover, the community age-friendly facility diversity, along with the presence of senior activity rooms, libraries, and communal dining halls, shows significant associations with frailty only among the younger-old subgroup. In contrast, community health service centers are negatively associated with frailty across all older adults. The mediating effect of leisure activities diminishes with advancing age.

Therefore, future community age-friendly facility planning should not only focus on enhancing facility richness but also scientifically align facility types with the actual health needs and behavioral characteristics of older adults, thereby better supporting the implementation of China’s healthy aging strategy.