Source: NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIV submitted to
AGING IN PLACE INDICATORS FOR RURAL SENIORS: FOCUSING ON RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
EVANS-ALLEN
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1016492
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
NC.X323-5-19-170-1
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2018
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2021
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Lee, SU.
Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIV
1601 EAST MARKET STREET
GREENSBORO,NC 27411
Performing Department
Family and Consumer Sciences
Non Technical Summary
In the U.S., rural seniors tend to age in place (Housing Assistance Council, 2011; Ewing, 2014). However, these older adults face challenges when aging in place due to deteriorating housing conditions, lack of services (North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, 2011; Rural Health Information Hub, 2014), and financial and health issues (Lawrence & McCulloch, 2001). This population is also likely to be inactive because most rural housing is separated from destinations and have fewer provisions for walking and public transportation (Nelson et al., 2006). These profiles imply a crucial role of rural seniors' residential environment and its impact on rural seniors' physical activity (PA) levels, which may affect rural seniors' AIP. However, there is a literature gap regarding what factors (indicators) within the residential environment could impact or support successful aging for rural seniors; the relationship between PA levels and residential environment and AIP strategies for rural seniors. Thus, this project will examine the AIP indicators that may contribute to rural seniors' aging in place, focusing on rural aging seniors' residential environments and their physical activity (PA) levels. This project will be implemented using a four-phase procedure: (a) Phase I: Identifying AIP indicators - residential environment and PA level - for rural seniors based on the community service providers' perceptions and experiences; (b) Phase II: Identifying AIP indicators - residential environment and PA level - for rural seniors based on their own perspectives and thoughts (rural seniors' self-assessment); (c) Phase III: Examining rural seniors' residential environment and their physical/daily living activity levels through home visitations; and (d) Phase IV: Developing future directions regarding policy and program development for rural seniors aging in place and a sustainable rural community. This proposed project will enhance our understanding of the housing, health, and service needs of older adults in rural communities and contribute to developing policies or service programs which ultimately serve to stabilize, enhance and sustain the rural community.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
30%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
8015320308040%
8046020209040%
6086099308020%
Knowledge Area
804 - Human Environmental Issues Concerning Apparel, Textiles, and Residential and Commercial Structures; 608 - Community Resource Planning and Development; 801 - Individual and Family Resource Management;

Subject Of Investigation
5320 - Houses (human residences), furniture, household equipment, non-textile furnishings; 6020 - The family and its members; 6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
2090 - Statistics, econometrics, and biometrics; 3080 - Sociology;
Goals / Objectives
This proposed study aims to examine the AIP indicators that may contribute to rural seniors' aging in place, focusing on rural aging seniors' residential environments and their physical activity (PA) levels. Four objectives will guide the study: (1) To identify AIP indicators for rural seniors based on the community service providers' perspectives; (2) To identify AIP indicators for rural seniors based on aging residents' self-assessment; (3) To assess AIP indicators for rural seniors through home visitations; and (4) To develop future directions regarding policy and program development for rural seniors aging in place and a sustainable rural community.
Project Methods
This project will be implemented using a four-phase procedure:Phase I includes interviewing rural service providers to obtain their perceptions and/or experiences for rural seniors' residential environment (home and town environment) and PA levels that will be considered as AIP indicators. Rural service providers are considered those who have experiences and interaction with rural seniors, and may include rental unit property managers in senior housing units, senior center program directors, and/or church leaders in rural communities. When selecting rural communities for the study site, the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (that provides a list of counties according to health status) (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2016); U.S. Census Bureau's American FactFinder search engine (that provides median household income by each county) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016); and Community Commons Maps & Data Service (2017) (that provides "high" concentrations of older persons) will be used as selection resource tools for Phase I. After selecting 5 to 6 rural counties, the research team will reach out to USDA Rural Development (i.e., the research team may reach out to senior/multi-family housing units developed by using USDA RD funds) or area agencies on aging (e.g., the research team will be able to reach out to senior centers supported by area agencies of aging) sites to recruit rural service providers. Also, church leaders in the rural counties will be considered for Phase I. A sample size of 20-25 service providers (i.e., 25 is the maximum 'purposeful' sampling size based on Leedy & Ormord, 2013) will be recruited for one-to-one onsite interview. After obtaining IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval, a mixed closed- and open- ended survey questionnaire will be used for the interview with the service providers in rural communities. Closed-ended questions will include type of services and future service needs for rural seniors along with sociodemographic and/or location profile of the rural community where the service provider is assigned. Open-ended questions will include service providers' views and/or perceptions on rural seniors' AIP challenges, in terms of rural housing conditions, health conditions or PA levels, community engagement for rural seniors, services provided (e.g., doctor's office, transportation, meal delivery and etc.), and access to available, affordable housing and resources (informal or formal support) for seniors. They will be asked for their views related to rural seniors' financial, physical, social and environmental factors that impact rural seniors' ability to remain in their homes and communities. When collecting the interview data, responses from the open-ended questions will be tape recorded. The recordings will be transcribed for content analysis that is a set of procedures designed to convert textual information to more relevant managerial data (Berelson, 1971). In terms of data analysis, for Phase I, after conducting personal interviews with service providers for rural seniors, (1) data from the closed-ended questions will be coded and analyzed based on frequencies and means and (2) responses from the open-ended questions will be transcribed for the content analysis by using qualitative data analysis software (e.g., NVivo software), which will lead to emerging themes.In Phase II, the research team will assess AIP indicators in terms of residential environment and their PA level along with their demographic profiles through surveys with the rural senior residents. A structured instrument will be applied to the rural older seniors who are 55 years of age and older with approximately 250-300 participants. Survey questions will be drawn from an existing and validated survey instrument related to AIP. The survey instrument will consist of sections on the household profile (e.g., health/physical level conditions, financial resources, family support, and/or government program participation) and the residential environment profile (housing conditions and/or accessibility features and supportive services and perceptions of the community environment). To increase the measurement validity, the PIs will conduct professional reviews and a pilot test before the IRB approval. In Phase II, the responses from the survey instrument will be analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY). Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and means) will be used to provide the sample profile of this study. Also, Pearson's correlation, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and/or simultaneous multiple regressions will be employed to reveal associations or relationships among the variables with a significance level of α = .05.In Phase III, the PIs will conduct home visitations to identify AIP indicators for the rural housing environment and rural seniors' PA level. About 10 rural seniors (2 per 5 rural communities) will be recruited for a home visitation. Three data collection methods will be employed for Phase III: (1) as a quantitative approach, a home environment assessment tool regarding design accessibility features will be developed based on AARP's HomeFit Guide (AARP, 2015) and N.C. A&T Housing Research's Aging-in-Place Instrument; (2) as a qualitative approach, photos will be taken to aid in determining their current housing condition that can be related to the PA level of aging seniors; and (3) to assess PA levels and daily living activities for rural seniors, a structured questionnaire will be developed, modified from the PA Scale for Elderly (PASE) (Washburn et al., 1993). The questionnaire will focus on various daily activities that may include walking, stretching, jogging, and muscle-conditioning activities; paid or volunteer work (requiring standing or walking); and household work (e.g., light house-work and yard work). For data analysis, quantitative data from the residential assessment tool or PA level questionnaire will be coded and analyzed based on frequencies and means while content analyses (Berelson, 1971) for qualitative data will be conducted based on photos taken during the home visitation.In Phase IV, the PIs will focus on suggesting future directions regarding policy and program development for rural seniors aging in place and a sustainable rural community based on Phase I, II, and III findings. For this, the PIs will identify the gaps between current policy and programs and rural older adults' AIP. That will lead the PIs to develop services, programs, or policies that positively assist or impact older rural residents to remain in their homes, which will guide rural agencies and initiatives to identify what they might need to enhance their existing service programs or develop new ones for rural aging residents. The findings in Phase IV will be disseminated via research/community/local presentations for organizations or agencies targeting rural seniors. Also, an educational brochure having information on service programs and AIP indicators will be developed for local communities and residents, and will be shared with service program providers, churches, or county extension offices.

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this NIFA funded project are rural elderly residents in North Carolina counties; service providers (rural service providers are those who have experiences and interactions with rural seniors, and may include property managers in senior housing units, senior center program directors, and/or church leaders in rural communities) to seniors in rural areas; community leaders; policymakers; academic professionals; government agencies; and non-profit organizations. Efforts were made via professional presentations for state, regional, and national audiences. At the state level, presentations based on project results were delivered for the members of NC Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and NC AAHPERD-SM (Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance, and Sport Management). At the regional level, presentations were made for the audiences of the Southern Gerontological Society meeting. At the national level, presentations were delivered for the Housing Education and Research Association members. Changes/Problems:In March 2020, NC (along with other states) made historic changes to standard modes of operation. The changes directed by the NC Governor and applying to NC A&T impacted the way in which the University operated and ultimately affected the way and timing our research was conducted. New and innovative techniques had to be sought out, approved, and then employed. All of the changes were a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Housing research has implemented some new methods and others continue to be investigated so that all current goals, objectives, and timelines can be met as closely as possible to the original proposal. Zoom conferencing was initiated to complete the interviews with rural service providers (Objective 1). An online survey was adopted to complete our project activity of face-to-face survey data collection with rural older adults (Objective 2). However, the Pandemic restrictions did not allow the Research Team to make modifications that would accomplish Objective 3 focusing on home visitations to further examine relationships between rural housing environment and rural seniors' PA level with 10 rural seniors. This was proposed as a qualitative approach, which is likely to take significant time and effort for sample recruitment and data collection. This activity can be considered for a future study if/after the Pandemic is over. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project pursued an interdisciplinary approach because a study on housing for aging populations is too complicated to resolve within a single discipline. Dr. Lee (PI) has studied environmental factors for older adults' AIP practice. Through the project, she had increased her research capacity regarding interdisciplinary knowledge, data analysis skills, and research network scope. Dr. M. Lee (co-PI), a Kinesiology faculty was invited to assess the residential environment in conjunction with the physical activity of older adults. During the project, he had enhanced his statistical analysis skills and interdisciplinary knowledge. The PI, co-PI, and research associate have participated in several local meetings, workshops, and conferences; and the PI and research associate pursue continuing education for Aging-In-Place Specialist designations. During the project years, two undergraduate and two graduate students from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education at NC A&T had been given the training opportunity under this EA project focusing on data collection and analysis, professional research presentations, and co-authorship. Student mentoring outcomes were one refereed journal publication, seven professional presentations at the university, state, and national-level meetings, and six abstracts submitted and/or published. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project activities (i.e., interviews and surveys) conducted, data collected, and findings determined from 2018-2021 by the Housing Research Team have been compiled into a 7-page newsletter (a non-peer-reviewed publication). The publication entitled 'Housing Research Updates, Fall 2021' was disseminated to all rural service providers interviewed, colleagues (faculty and staff) in CAES (College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences), local partners (i.e. Community Housing Solutions), and other stakeholders who are interested in this topic. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? As of now, we completed our 3-year research project and met all objectives proposed except for one objective due to the COVID 19 restriction. For Objective 1, we completed 20 interviews with service providers, completed transcripts as well as data coding, and conducted a qualitative content analysis to produce findings, leading to one manuscript submission for publication; and 6 abstract submissions or presentations for professional conferences. For Objective 2, we completed survey data collection and coding and conducted descriptive and inferential statistical analyses to produce findings, leading to two refereed journals; and 8 abstract submissions or presentations for professional conferences. For Objective 4, we completed suggested activities by developing a 7-page newsletter (non-peer-reviewed publication) including AIP challenges and suggestive programs, and subsequently, distributing it to stakeholders and service providers who participated in our study. Objective 3 was not conducted due to COVD 19 that has restricted our in-person home visitation. Some of the key findings are as follows: (1) regression model revealed that the measure of PASE (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly) was significantly associated with the perceived residential environment for rural older adults, and a person's overall health condition was the key contributing factor to their physical activity levels; and (2) qualitative analysis revealed rural older adults' AIP challenges which were grouped into five dimensions: housing and support for aging; the need for transportation and avoiding isolation; staying healthy/medical care; and money and affordable living; and challenges to providing services in rural communities. Also, we found AIP challenges, leading to educational programs for rural older adults that can be used as a future direction. Our focus has been on the quality of life of limited-resourced, rural older adults. The impact is to increase `community awareness' of a group of rural older adults in NC. This community awareness can be a way of increasing the quality of life for the aging cohort. This project had included service agencies and their clients in rural communities. With survey and interview data collection and analysis, we evaluated rural older adults' residential environment and physical activities levels and developed research findings, which service providers are interested in when enhancing or modifying their service programs and directions. Community service agencies are the ones that can meet the service needs of under-resourced rural seniors, and residents in the community want to receive quality services when needed. From this perspective, the project benefits both the community agencies and rural aging residents.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, S., Parrott, K. R., Lee, M., Robinson, S. R., & Owusu, R. N. (2021). Residential satisfaction of rural older adults aging in place. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 7, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721421997190
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, M., Lee, S., Robinson, S. R., & Parrott, K. R. (2021). Relationship between physical activity levels and perceived residential environment for rural older adults. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(3), 1317-1324. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2021.03167
  • Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2022 Citation: Parrott, K. R. Lee, S., Lee, M., & Robinson, S. R. (in review). Informal education to assist rural older adults aging in place: A practitioners perspective. Journal of Extension.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, S., Parrott, K. R., Lee, M., Robinson, S. R., & Owusu, R. N. (2021, March). Aging in place: Town satisfaction of rural older adults in North Carolina. Poster presented at the 2021 NCAFCS (North Carolina Association of Family & Consumer Sciences) Virtual Annual Conference. https://www.aafcs.org/ncafcs/all-events/affiliate-events/ncafcs-ac
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lee, M., Lee, S., & Robinson, S. (2020, November). How residential environment impacts on physical activity level for rural seniors. Poster session presented at the 2020 NC SHAPE Virtual State Convention, NC, United States. https://www.ncaahperd-sm.org/cgi/page.cgi/convention.html
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Owusu, R. N., Lee, S., Robinson, S. R., Lee, M. (in press). Housing satisfaction of older adults in rural North Carolina (based on tentative results). Proceedings of the 2020/2021 NCAFCS (North Carolina Association of Family & Consumer Sciences) Annual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Johnson, B., Lee, S., Robinson, S. R., Lee, M. (in press). Understanding wellness programs for rural older adults (based on tentative findings). Proceedings of the 2020/2021 NCAFCS (North Carolina Association of Family & Consumer Sciences) Annual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Lee, S., Parrott, K., Lee, M., Robinson, S. R., & R. N. Owusu. (accepted). Housing and town satisfaction of NC rural older adults: Aging in place. Proceedings of the 2022 ARD (Association of Research Directors, Inc.) Biennial Research Symposium.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Robinson, S. R., Lee, S., Parrott, K., & Lee, M. (accepted). Aging-in-place challenges of rural older adults: Service providers perspectives. Proceedings of the 2022 ARD (Association of Research Directors, Inc.) Biennial Research Symposium.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Freeman, T, Lee, S., Robinson, S. R., & Lee, M. (accepted). Aging in place: Home environment for rural older adults in North Carolina. Proceedings of the 2022 ARD (Association of Research Directors, Inc.) Biennial Research Symposium.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, S., Lee, M., Robinson, S. R., Mo, Y., Parrott, K. R., & Owusu, R. N. (2021). Housing satisfaction of older adults in rural North Carolina. Proceedings of the 2021 Annual Conference of the Housing Education and Research Association, 37-38.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, S., Lee, M., Robinson, S., & Parrott, K. (2021, April). Understanding challenges in rural residential environments for older adults aging in place. Paper presented at the 2021 Southern Gerontological Society (Virtual) Annual Meeting & Conference. https://southerngerontologicalsociety.org/meeting.html
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, S., Lee, M., Parrott, K. R. & Robinson, S. R. (2021, September 30). Housing Research Updates (Fall 2021). https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1siQyzgTSfh5R5-cBL2rHv411cxTguYbZ


Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences are rural elderly residents in North Carolina counties, service providers (rural service providers are considered those who have experiences and interactions with rural seniors, and may include rental unit property managers in senior housing units, senior center program directors, and/or church leaders in rural communities) to seniors in rural areas, community leaders, policymakers, academic professionals, and non-profit organizations. Efforts were made via professional presentations with preliminary data analysis. A poster presentation was held at the 2019 NC AAHPERD-SM (Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance, and Sport Management) Convention, Winston-Salem, NC. Also, in 2020, five refereed conference presentations were accepted. However, the 2020 conferences scheduled were canceled due to COVID. As of now, PI has been informed that two abstracts for Southern Gerontological Society and Housing Education and Research Association will be presented in the 2021 meetings. Changes/Problems:In March 2020, NC (along with other states) made historic changes to standard modes of operation. The changes dictated by the NC Governor and applying to NC A&T impacted the way in which the University operated and ultimately affected the way and timing our research was conducted. New and innovative techniques had to be sought out, approved and then employed. All of the changes were a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, which is still causing challenges to operations, research and academics as well as life outside of the University. Housing research has implemented some new methods and others continue to be investigated so that all current goals, objectives and timelines can be met as closely as possible to the original proposal. Qualtrics was one organization used to conduct data collection. Zoom conferencing has been initiated to maintain contact and transfer information along with the standard telephone use. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One undergraduate student and two graduate students from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education at NC A&T have been given the training opportunity under this EA project focusing on data collection and analysis, professional research presentations, and co-authorship. Two graduate students submitted two refereed abstract papers for professional research presentation at the 2020 NCAFCS Annual Conference and the papers were accepted. A graduate student had a research presentation at the 9th CAES (College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences) Virtual Annual Student Showcase of Excellence at N.C. A&T. The PI, co-PI, and research associate have participated in several local meetings, workshops, and conferences; and the PI and research associate pursue continuing education for Aging-In-Place Specialist designations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?With preliminary data analysis, we have made dissemination efforts. In 2019, we made one poster presentation. In 2020, five refereed conference presentations were accepted. However, the 2020 conferences scheduled were canceled due to COVID. As of now, PI has been informed that two abstracts for Southern Gerontological Society and Housing Education and Research Association will be presented in the 2021 meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In Year 2, we are in the data collection or data coding stage (for Objective 1, 2, 3). Thus, accomplishments to achieving our project aims and/or research questions have not been completed yet. However, we have produced some preliminary findings to cover Objective 1 and 2. With the preliminary findings, we made six (6) accepted abstract papers for refereed conferences; and two manuscripts have been developed. Key findings are as follows: Rural older adults have fewer resources, employment, and business activities than those of urban areas. Our preliminary findings can help with the understanding of AIP challenges older adults face in rural NC. There are two major findings regarding Objective 1 and 2. Finding 1: Rural service providers interviewed indicated that (1) due to economic decline (some counties depended on jobs in the tobacco and textile industries which have closed), job opportunities were few and younger people left the areas, leading to less people in the workforce to care for their elders and an increasing aging population; (2) biggest challenge in rural communities was transportation which would allow aging residents access to community services; and (3) transportation, broadband availability, senior housing availability, delivery of hot meals, lower age to qualify for certain supportive programs, or a service to help nursing home patients transition back into their communities were cited as policy issues impacting rural aging residents. Finding 2: Our face-to-face survey analysis revealed that medical and/or health conditions of rural older adults are significant factors on their physical activity levels in the residential environment. The preliminary findings provide an opportunity to understand the rural residential environment for older adults aging in place and suggests a need to expand access to community resources and public assistance in rural areas to increase older adults' well-being.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, M., Lee, S., & Robinson, S. R. (in review). Associations between satisfaction from residential environment and physical activity among rural seniors in North Carolina. Journal of Kinesiology and Wellness.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lee, S., Parrott, K. R., Lee, M., Robinson, S. R., & Owusu, R. N. (accepted with revision). Residential satisfaction of rural older adults aging in place. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lee, S., Lee, M., Robinson, S. R., Mo, Y., Parrott, K. R., & Owusu, R. N. (2020, October, 25-28). Housing satisfaction of older adults in rural North Carolina [Conference session]. The 2020 Annual Conference of the Housing Education and Research Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Conference canceled) https://housingeducators.org/conferences/
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lee, S., Mo, Y., Lee, M., & Robinson, S. R. (2020, August 2-8). Aging in place indicator: Housing affordability of older (65+) householders in U.S. rural areas [Conference session]. The World Congress of the XXIV IFHE (International Federation of Home Economics), Atlanta, Georgia. (Conference canceled). http://www.cvent.com/events/ifhe-world-congress-2020/event-summary-df64e24cf1f64596ad83baaa8c57e21c.aspx?dvce=1
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lee, S., Lee, M., Robinson, S., & Parrott, K. (2020, April 14-18). Understanding challenges in rural residential environments for older adults aging in place [Conference session]. The 2020 Southern Gerontological Society Meeting, Norfolk, Virginia. (Conference canceled). https://www.southerngerontologicalsociety.org/covid-19.html
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Owusu, R. N., Lee, S., Robinson, S. R., Lee, M. (2020, March 19-21). Housing satisfaction of older adults in rural North Carolina (based on tentative results) [Conference session]. The 2020 NCAFCS (North Carolina Association of Family & Consumer Sciences) Annual Conference, Asheville, North Carolina. (Conference canceled). https://www.aafcs.org/ncafcs/home
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Johnson, B., Lee, S., Robinson, S. R., Lee, M. (2020, March 19-21). Understanding wellness programs for rural older adults (based on tentative findings) [Conference session]. The 2020 NCAFCS (North Carolina Association of Family & Consumer Sciences) Annual Conference, Asheville, North Carolina. (Conference canceled). https://www.aafcs.org/ncafcs/home
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lee, M., Lee, S., & Robinson, S. (2019, October). Conceptual modeling: Relationship between residential environments and physical activity for rural seniors. Poster session presented at the 2019 NC AAHPERD-SM (Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance, and Sport Management) Convention, Winston-Salem, NC


Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences are rural elderly residents in North Carolina counties, service providers (Rural service providers are considered those who have experiences and interactions with rural seniors, and may include rental unit property managers in senior housing units, senior center program directors, and/or church leaders in rural communities) to seniors in rural areas, community leaders, policymakers, academic professionals, and non-profit organizations. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One undergraduate student from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and one graduate student from the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education at NC A&T have been given the training opportunity under this EA project focusing on data collection and analysis, professional research presentations, and co-authorship. An undergraduate student had a professional research presentation at the 2019 NCAFCS Annual Conference, 2019 ARD conference, and N.C. A&T Spring 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium. A graduate student had a research presentation at the 7th CAES (College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences) Annual Student Showcase of Excellence at N.C. A&T and 2019 ARD conference. PI trained a postdoctoral research associate for 5 months regarding social science based research methods. The PI, co-PI, and research associate have participated in several local meetings, workshops, and conferences; and the PI and research associate pursue continuing education for Aging-In-Place Specialist designations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have disseminated preliminary findings of our project to the community. In Year 1, we presented a conceptual framework of our project to stakeholders at a local conference. Also, abstract papers based on preliminary findings have been submitted for upcoming local, state, national, and international conferences/meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project aims to examine the AIP indicators that may contribute to rural seniors' aging in place, focusing on rural aging seniors' residential environments and their physical activity (PA) levels. Few empirical (evidence-based) studies have been conducted on rural aging populations' residential environment and their physical activity levels, which can be discussed in the context of cost/benefits perspective. The current project is in the beginning stage and therefore, has no final results to report. However, we believe, this proposed project will fill in the literature gap on rural seniors' AIP indicators, leading to a better understanding of the housing, health, and service needs of older adults in rural communities and contribute to developing policies or service programs which ultimately will serve to stabilize, enhance and sustain the rural community. Four objectives have guided this study: (1) To identify AIP indicators for rural seniors' residential environment and PA levels based on the community service providers' perspectives; (2) To identify AIP indicators for rural seniors' residential environment and PA levels based on aging residents' self-assessment; (3) To assess relationships between rural seniors' housing environment and PA levels through home visitations; (4) To develop future directions regarding policy and program development for rural seniors aging in place and a sustainable rural community. Key accomplishments by each objective for the project follow: Objective 1. To identify AIP indicators for rural seniors' residential environment and PA levels based on the community service providers' perspectives (ongoing): All team members (PI, co-PI, research associate, postdoc, students, and consultant) worked together to implement Objective 1. We discussed and identified a sample of rural service providers. Concurrently, we developed an interview questionnaire and consent form. Then, we conducted a pilot test with rural service providers in March 2019. On March 26, 2019, we submitted interview questionnaire and consent to the IRB system; and on April 15, 2019, we received the approval. Subsequently, we conducted interviews with rural service providers and we completed 12 interviews out of 25. While conducting interviews, we concurrently started making transcripts for data analysis. Objective 2. To identify AIP indicators for rural seniors' residential environment and PA levels based on aging residents' self-assessment (ongoing): All team members (PI, co-PI, research associate, postdoc, students, and consultant) worked together to implement Objective 2. A structural questionnaire (84 questions in 12 pages), consent form, and flyer were developed based on the literature and survey instruments were validated. A pilot test for a structured questionnaire for rural seniors (surveys with 2 rural homeowners) was conducted on March 18. On March 26, 2019, we submitted all documents -- survey, consent, and flyer -- for an IRB approval, and we obtained the approval on April 15, 2019. Afterward, we conducted a structured, face-to-face survey in rural NC counties. In Year 1, we completed 99 out of 300 surveys.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lee, M., Lee, S., & Robinson, S. (2019). Conceptual modeling: Relationship between residential environments and physical activity for rural seniors. Poster session presented at the 2019 NC AAHPERD-SM (Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance, and Sport Management) Convention, Winston-Salem, NC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lee, S., Mo, Y., Lee, M., & Robinson, S. R. (accepted). Aging in place indicator: Housing affordability of older (65+) householders in U.S. rural areas. Proceedings of the XXIV IFHE (International Federation of Home Economics) World Congress 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lee, S., Lee, M., Robinson, S., & Parrott, K. (accepted). Understanding challenges in rural residential environments for older adults aging in place. Proceedings of the 2020 Southern Gerontological Society Meeting.