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Predictors of Senior Center Attendance in Korea: Findings From a National Analysis

ABSTRACT Previous research on senior center attendance has focused mainly on the differences between senior center users and nonusers. However, this study explored the predictors distinguishing 3 categories of senior center users: users, nonusers, and former users. The data for this study were drawn from the 2004 National Survey on Living Status and Social Needs of the Korean Older Population, conducted jointly by the Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. A total of 3,009 elderly persons aged 65 years and older living in the community were analyzed. Results showed there are significant predictors distinguishing both nonusers from users and nonusers from former users. However, no significant differences were found between former users and users. Overall, this study moderately supports the findings of previous studies and revealed contradictory results for gender, education, and location of residence variables. Older Koreans who are male, educated, socially active, and living in urban areas are more likely to attend senior centers. The Korean traditional family system and service delivery network are suggested as a partial cause of the contradictory results. More research is needed to specify why former users discontinued attending senior centers.