Perceived Neighborhood Environment, Place Attachment, and Life Satisfaction in Super-Aged Japanese Communities: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Neighborhood conditions may influence well-being in later life, yet the roles of social participation and place attachment remain unclear, particularly in Japan. Methods This cross-sectional study used 2022 questionnaire data from adults living in two super-aged Japanese communities. Among 1,569 respondents, 1,554 with complete life satisfaction data were analyzed. Perceived neighborhood environment was assessed with 11 items, summarized into a composite score, and classified into low and high groups using the median of the observed data. Missing data were handled with multiple imputation by chained equations, generating 100 datasets. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for life satisfaction. Results After adjustment for sociodemographic and health-related factors, the high environment group had higher odds of life satisfaction than the low group (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.56 to 3.07). Further adjustment for social participation changed the estimate little, whereas adjustment for place attachment attenuated the association (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.52). Place attachment was positively associated with life satisfaction (OR 2.89, 95% CI 2.02 to 4.13). In supplementary analyses, perceived neighborhood environment was independently associated with place attachment (OR 9.30, 95% CI 5.18 to 16.71) but not with social participation score. Conclusions Favorable neighborhood conditions were associated with higher life satisfaction in super-aged communities. Place attachment may be a more relevant explanatory factor than social participation frequency.