What Makes a Neighborhood? Associations Between Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors and Perceptions of Neighborhood Environments Among Community-Dwelling Older Black and Latino Adults

How people perceive their neighborhoods can impact their aging trajectories, with less known regarding neighborhood perceptions among older adults from minoritized groups. This study examined the impacts of behavioral and psychosocial factors on neighborhood perceptions among non-Latino (NL) Black and Latino older adults. Participants (N = 506) were NL Black (n = 372) and Latino (n = 134) older adults (x¯ age = 79 years) without dementia. Participants completed a modified Perceptions of Neighborhood Environments Scale (mPNES; higher scores indicate more favorable perceptions) and measures of behavioral and psychosocial factors. We performed fully saturated linear regression analyses to assess how each factor related to the mPNES, followed by stepwise linear regression analyses to determine final predictive models for the full sample and each ethnoracial group. For the full sample, higher purpose in life, more physical activity, less discrimination, and higher income were associated with higher mPNES scores. For NL Black older adults, more physical activity, less discrimination, and higher income were associated with higher mPNES scores. For older Latinos, more purpose in life and a larger social network size were associated with higher mPNES scores. Distinct associations exist by ethnoracial group and suggest unique considerations to facilitate positive neighborhood perceptions among NL Black and Latino older adults.