Views of older Surinamese adults in the Netherlands about neighbourhood age-friendliness and well-being realisation: A Q-methodology study

Abstract

In the western world, the ageing population is becoming more ethnically diverse. Research has shown the importance of physical and social neighbourhood resources for the well-being realisation of older adults. However, the relative importance of neighbourhood resources for the well-being realisation of older Surinamese adults remains unknown. We conducted a Q-methodology study in April–July 2022 to capture the variety of viewpoints of older adults (age ≥ 65 years) with Surinamese backgrounds in the Netherlands on neighbourhood age-friendliness and well-being realisation. A purposive sample of 33 participants ranked 38 neighbourhood-related opinion statements according to their importance for their well-being and explained their rankings during follow-up interviews. By-person factor analysis of the data was conducted to identify common patterns in the statement rankings. Three distinct viewpoints in which various aspects were considered to be important were extracted: 1) a safe neighbourhood in which to stay socially active, 2) a supportive neighbourhood in which to stay independent and 3) a well-maintained neighbourhood with involved residents. These results suggest that not all older Surinamese adults in the Netherlands find the same neighbourhood resources to be important for the realisation of well-being.