Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Health Education and Promotion

Advisor

Dr. Nancy Rea

Abstract

The inability to age in place among people 65 years old and older is a public health problem in the United States. However, it is unknown what neighborhood factors (i.e., trust, safety, shared values) impact the communities that are struggling to support individuals looking to stay in their homes as they age. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between neighborhood factors (i.e., trust, safety, and shared values), cardiovascular illness (i.e., heart attack and stroke), mental health (i.e., depression), and aging in place, controlling for sex, age, marital status, educational level, employment status, and race. In this secondary data analysis guided by the socio-ecological model, the difference between sociodemographic variables and their impact on aging in place were explored. The study sample of 4,500 people was analyzed by binomial logistic regression. Results of the study show that sex (p = 0.021), age (p = <.001), marital status (p = 0.023), and educational level (p = 0.016) were all predictive of aging in place. However, logistic regression analysis indicated no statistical significance for trust (p = 0.370), safety (p = 0.386), shared values (p = 0.772), heart attack (p = 0.712), stroke (p = 0.218), and depression (p = 0.479). Age, sex, marital status, and educational level were the only significant associations with aging in place, but the findings were not significant between neighborhood factors, cardiovascular chronic illness, or mental health and aging in place. Recommendations include specialized training for public health professionals in socioeconomic factors that help people 65 and older age in place. The implication for social change is the prevention of institutionalization so that people 65 and older can chose where and how they live.

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