Role of Participation in Activities and Perceived Accessibility on Quality of Life among Nondisabled Older Adults and Those with Disabilities in Israel during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, quality of life (QoL) was reduced among many groups, including Israeli older adults. This study investigated perceived QoL, perceived accessibility of the living environment, and participation in activities among nondisabled older adults and those with disabilities in the community. It also examined whether the perceived accessibility's effect on QoL occurs directly and/or indirectly via mediators of participation in community activities. A voluntary and anonymous survey was administered from February to May 2021 to 495 participants aged 60 and older. Respondents completed three questionnaires: WHOQOL-BREF, Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised (CIQ-R), and Perceived Accessibility of Living Environment (PALE). The main finding was that participation in activities in the community had a direct positive impact on QoL. Perceived accessibility of the living environment also had indirect positive effects on QoL through participation in activities in the community, for those without disabilities but, interestingly, not for those with disabilities. Hierarchal linear regressions revealed that participation in activities explained 53.3% of the variance for both groups while perceived accessibility added 1.1% for the nondisabled. We conclude that accessibility of living environment is a good indicator of positively perceived QoL through participation in various activities in the community for nondisabled older adults. This may be especially important during a pandemic.