Does One Size Fit All? Well-Being Environmental Assessment Criteria in Low- And Middle-Income Aging Communities in Thailand

The effectiveness of well-being environment assessment criteria for aging communities in diverse contexts, particularly in developing countries, remains underexplored. This study aimed to fill this gap by employing Thailand Well-Being Environment and Age-Friendly Communities criteria to assess the living environment of 15 low- and middle-income aging communities in Thailand and determine their well-being status. The results of the overall quantitative assessment showed an average score of 60.78/100. Findings indicated high scores in categories such as healthy food environment, community open space, community asset, and street lighting, indicating a strong foundation for the well-being of low- and middle-income communities. Medium-scoring categories like housing, air quality, drinking water quality, and heat mitigation showed varied results, indicating the need for targeted interventions. Conversely, low scores were found in the categories of roads and sidewalks, public transportation, and noise mitigation, indicating to a critical gap in infrastructure for older people. Considering the scores for each main category, it was found that only the heat mitigation category showed a statistically significant difference between urban and rural areas. However, a deeper qualitative analysis by local experts revealed that 24 indicators in urban contexts, across three categories (housing, roads and sidewalks, and public transportation), were not aligned with the reality of rural contexts, underscoring the ineffectiveness of the "one size fits all" approach. This study highlights the need for context-specific criteria to guide targeted policy and resource allocation to improve the quality of life for older people.