Latent profile characteristics of nature connectedness and place attachment among urban older adults practicing Tai Chi: psychological heterogeneity of green space exposure.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid acceleration of population aging, promoting active aging and psychological health among older adults has become an important public health priority. Urban green spaces play a key role in supporting physical activity and psychological adjustment in older adults. However, most existing studies have adopted a variable-centered approach, which limits the understanding of intra-individual psychological heterogeneity. This study focused on urban park older adults practicing Tai Chi and examined latent profile characteristics of nature connectedness and place attachment from a person-centered perspective.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was conducted, including 462 urban older adults practicing Tai Chi in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Nature connectedness was measured using the Connectedness to Nature Scale across three dimensions (affective, cognitive, and experiential), and place attachment was assessed using the Place Attachment Scale across two dimensions (place dependence and place identity). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify potential subgroups. Chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA were applied to examine differences in sociodemographic and behavioral variables across profiles.

RESULTS: Three latent profiles were identified: High connectedness-High attachment type (C1, n = 154, 33.3%), Low connectedness-Low attachment type (C2, n = 188, 40.7%), and Functional dependence type (C3, n = 120, 26.0%). Significant differences were observed among profiles in age, education level, occupation, and income (p < 0.05). In contrast, most behavioral variables (such as Tai Chi practice frequency and years of practice) showed limited differences, except for practice duration. The High connectedness-High attachment type showed the highest scores across all psychological dimensions, while the Low connectedness-Low attachment type showed the lowest.

CONCLUSION: Urban older adults with regular Tai Chi practice exhibit significant heterogeneity in nature connectedness and place attachment, with differences mainly reflected in psychological rather than behavioral dimensions. Tai Chi practice may play a supportive role in strengthening psychological connections between older adults and urban green spaces. These findings provide evidence for developing tailored health promotion strategies and optimizing urban green space planning based on individual heterogeneity.