Active Aging through Volunteerism: A Longitudinal Assessment of Perceived Neighborhood Safety as a Predictor among Older Adults, 2008-2018.

Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101600173 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2314-6141 (Electronic) NLM ISO Abbreviation: Biomed Res Int Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2024- : [Hoboken, NJ] : Wiley
Original Publication: New York, NY : Hindawi Pub. Co.

Aging/*psychology ; Healthy Aging/*psychology ; Volunteers/*psychology; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging/physiology ; Female ; Forecasting/methods ; Healthy Aging/physiology ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neighborhood Characteristics/statistics & numerical data ; Perception ; Residence Characteristics ; Retirement ; Sex Factors ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; United States

Volunteering can play an important role in active aging. The resource theory of volunteering posits that volunteerism depends on human, social, and cultural capital. Benefits of volunteering have been documented at the micro-, meso-, and macrolevels, positively affecting individual older people as well as their local communities and society at large. Taking a process-oriented theoretical approach, this study focused on the mesolevel factor of the environment with the purpose of determining the relationship between perceived neighborhood safety and volunteerism over the course of a decade and the extent to which this relationship differs by gender and race. Longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study in the United States of America between 2008 and 2018 were used ( N = 72,319 adults 60 years and older). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) with robust standard errors were employed while controlling for a number of covariates. A third of the sample volunteered in the past year (33%). The probability of volunteering among older adults who rated their perceived neighborhood safety as excellent was greater compared with those who rated their perceived neighborhood safety as fair/poor after controlling for all other model covariates (ME: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.05). Among males rating their perceived neighborhood safety as excellent, the probability of volunteering was higher (ME: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.07). Among females, the probability of volunteering was higher among those who perceived their neighborhood safety to be excellent (ME: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.05) or very good (ME: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.04). White respondents who rated their neighborhood safety as excellent (ME: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.07) or very good (ME: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.06) had a higher probability of volunteerism. Results were not significant among Black respondents and those who described their race as "other." This study's process-oriented theoretical approach indicates that initiatives aimed at improving neighborhood safety and older adults' perceptions of neighborhood safety could increase social capital and lead older adults to engage in more volunteering, providing benefits at micro-, meso-, and macrolevels-to older individuals, their local communities, and society at large.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
(Copyright © 2021 Erin G. Grinshteyn and Judith A. Sugar.)

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Date Created: 20211115 Date Completed: 20220121 Latest Revision: 20220121

20250114

PMC8578694

10.1155/2021/5185264

34778451