Neighborhood Environment and Physical Activity Among Older Adults: Do the Relationships Differ by Driving Status?

Some attributes of neighborhood environments are associated with physical activity among older adults. This study examined whether the associations were moderated by driving status. Older adults from neighborhoods differing in walkability and income completed written surveys and wore accelerometers (N = 880, mean age = 75 years, 56% women). Neighborhood environments were measured by geographic information systems and validated questionnaires. Driving status was defined on the basis of a driver’s license, car ownership, and feeling comfortable to drive. Outcome variables included accelerometer-based physical activity and self-reported transport and leisure walking. Multilevel generalized linear regression was used. There was no significant Neighborhood Attribute × Driving Status interaction with objective physical activity or reported transport walking. For leisure walking, almost all environmental attributes were positive and significant among driving older adults but not among nondriving older adults (five significant interactions at p < .05). The findings suggest that driving status is likely to moderate the association between neighborhood environments and older adults’ leisure walking.

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Perceived Barriers to Walking in the Neighborhood Environment: A Survey of Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.15.3.318 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 318-335 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Jill Dawson ◽

Melvyn Hillsdon ◽

Irene Boller ◽

Charlie Foster

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Neighborhood Environment ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Environmental Attributes ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Health Related ◽

Low Levels ◽

The Uk

The authors investigated whether low levels of walking among older adults in the UK were associated with demographic and health characteristics, as well as perceived environmental attributes. Survey data were obtained from self-administered standard questionnaires given to 680 people age 50+ (mean age 64.4 yr) attending nationally led walking schemes. Items concerned with demographic characteristics and perceived barriers to neighborhood walking were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Citing more than 1 environmental barrier to walking, versus not, was associated with significantly reduced levels of (leisure) walking (MET/hr) in the preceding week (Z = –2.35, p = .019), but physical activity levels overall did not differ significantly (Z = –0.71, p = .48). Citing a health-related barrier to walking significantly adversely affected overall physical activity levels (Z = –2.72, p = .006). The authors concluded that, among older people who favor walking, health problems might more seriously affect overall physical activity levels than perceived environmental barriers.

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Evaluating a Brief Self-Report Measure of Neighborhood Environments for Physical Activity Research and Surveillance: Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale (PANES)

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.7.4.533 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 533-540 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

James F. Sallis ◽

Jacqueline Kerr ◽

Jordan A. Carlson ◽

Gregory J. Norman ◽

Brian E. Saelens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Weight Status ◽

Neighborhood Environment ◽

Self Report ◽

Surveillance Systems ◽

Environment Scale ◽

Recreation Facilities ◽

Neighborhood Environments ◽

Pedestrian Infrastructure ◽

Alternate Form Reliability

Background:Neighborhood environment attributes of walkability and access to recreation facilities have been related to physical activity and weight status, but most self-report environment measures are lengthy. The 17-item PANES (Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale) was developed to be comprehensive but brief enough for use in multipurpose surveys. The current study evaluated test-retest and alternate-form reliability of PANES items compared with multi-item subscales from the longer NEWS-A (Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale—Abbreviated).Methods:Participants were 291 adults recruited from neighborhoods that varied in walkability in 3 US cities. Surveys were completed twice with a 27-day interval.Results:Test-retest ICCs for PANES items ranged from .52 to .88. Spearman correlations for the PANES single item vs NEWS-A subscale comparisons ranged from .27 to .81 (all P < .01).Conclusions:PANES items related to land use mix, residential density, pedestrian infrastructure, aesthetic qualities, and safety from traffic and crime were supported by correlations with NEWS-A subscales. Access to recreation facilities and street connectivity items were not supported. The brevity of PANES allows items to be included in studies or surveillance systems to expand knowledge about neighborhood environments.

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Relationships Between Neighbourhood Physical Environmental Attributes and Older Adults’ Leisure-Time Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sports Medicine ◽

10.1007/s40279-018-0917-1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (7) ◽

pp. 1635-1660 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Jelle Van Cauwenberg ◽

◽

Andrea Nathan ◽

Anthony Barnett ◽

David W. Barnett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Older Adults ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Environmental Attributes

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Measuring the association of objective and perceived neighborhood environment with physical activity in older adults: challenges and implications from a systematic review

International Journal of Health Geographics ◽

10.1186/s12942-020-00243-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Manuela Peters ◽

Saskia Muellmann ◽

Lara Christianson ◽

Imke Stalling ◽

Karin Bammann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Successful Aging ◽

The Elderly ◽

Neighborhood Environment ◽

Sufficient Evidence ◽

Measurement Instruments ◽

Qualitative Synthesis ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Methodological Approaches

Abstract Background A supportive environment is a key factor in addressing the issue of health among older adults. There is already sufficient evidence that objective and self-reported measures of the neighborhood environment should be taken into account as crucial components of active aging, as they have been shown to influence physical activity; particularly in people aged 60+. Thus, both could inform policies and practices that promote successful aging in place. An increasing number of studies meanwhile consider these exposures in analyzing their impact on physical activity in the elderly. However, there is a wide variety of definitions, measurements and methodological approaches, which complicates the process of obtaining comparable estimates of the effects and pooled results. The aim of this review was to identify and summarize these differences in order to emphasize methodological implications for future reviews and meta analyzes in this field and, thus, to create a sound basis for synthesized evidence. Methods A systematic literature search across eight databases was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles examining the association of objective and perceived measures of the neighborhood environment and objectively measured or self-reported physical activity in adults aged ≥ 60 years. Two authors independently screened the articles according to predefined eligibility criteria, extracted data, and assessed study quality. A qualitative synthesis of the findings is provided. Results Of the 2967 records retrieved, 35 studies met the inclusion criteria. Five categories of methodological approaches, numerous measurement instruments to assess the neighborhood environment and physical activity, as well as several clusters of definitions of neighborhood, were identified. Conclusions The strength of evidence of the associations of specific categories of environmental attributes with physical activity varies across measurement types of the outcome and exposures as well as the physical activity domain observed and the operationalization of neighborhood. The latter being of great importance for the targeted age group. In the light of this, future reviews should consider these variations and stratify their summaries according to the different approaches, measures and definitions. Further, underlying mechanisms should be explored.

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Influence of Neighborhood Environment on Korean Adult Obesity Using a Bayesian Spatial Multilevel Model

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16203991 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (20) ◽

pp. 3991 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lee ◽

Choi ◽

Choi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Multilevel Model ◽

Age Groups ◽

Neighborhood Environment ◽

Gender And Age ◽

Community Health Survey ◽

Korean Adult ◽

Gyeonggi Province ◽

Neighborhood Environments ◽

Lower Population

Previous studies using spatial statistical modeling that account for spatial associations between geographic areas are scarce. Therefore, this study examines the association between neighborhood environment and obesity using a Bayesian spatial multilevel model. Data from 78,014 adults living in Gyeonggi province in Korea were drawn from the 2013–2014 Korean Community Health Survey. Korean government databases and ArcGIS software (version 10.1, ESRI, Redlands, CA) were used to measure the neighborhood environment for 546 administrative districts of Gyeonggi province. A Bayesian spatial multilevel model was implemented across gender and age groups. The findings indicate that women aged 19–39 years who lived in neighborhoods farthest away from parks were more likely to be obese. Men aged 40–59 years who lived in neighborhoods farther from public physical activity facilities and with lower population density were more likely to be obese. Obesity for women aged 19–39 years was the most spatially dependent, while obesity for women aged 40–59 years was the least spatially dependent. The results suggest that neighborhood environments that provide more opportunities for physical activity are negatively related to obesity. Therefore, the creation of physical activity in favorable neighborhood environments, considering gender and age, may be a valuable strategy to reduce obesity.

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Contextual Correlates of Physical Activity among Older Adults: A Neighborhood Environment-Wide Association Study (NE-WAS)

Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention ◽

10.1158/1055-9965.epi-16-0827 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 495-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Stephen J. Mooney ◽

Spruha Joshi ◽

Magdalena Cerdá ◽

Gary J. Kennedy ◽

John R. Beard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Association Study ◽

Neighborhood Environment

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Adverse Neighborhood Environments and Health Behaviors among Older Americans

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3656 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 1031-1032

Author(s):

Yeon Jin Choi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Physical Inactivity ◽

Healthy Diet ◽

Neighborhood Disorder ◽

Older Americans ◽

Poor Diet ◽

Diet And Physical Activity ◽

Neighborhood Environments

Abstract Maintaining healthy lifestyle, including healthy diet and physical activity, in adverse neighborhood environments may be more difficult for older adults because of changes linked to aging, which make them more vulnerable to their environments. This study aims to investigate the association of neighborhood disorder with diet quality and physical activity in a national sample of older Americans. For this study, we used data from the Health and Retirement Study. Neighborhood disorders include vandalism, boarded houses, abandoned cars, demolished houses, trash, litter, or junk, poorly kept communal areas, homeless people, prostitution, winos or junkies, and drug use or drug dealing near residents’ housing unit (range: 0-11). Diet quality and physical activity were assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015; range:0-100) and the metabolic (MET) equivalent activity points (range: 0-31 in this sample). Ordinary least squares regression models were estimated to examine an association between neighborhood disorder, diet quality, and physical activity. Neighborhood disorder was associated with poor diet and physical inactivity. For one additional negative neighborhood feature, HEI-2015 scores and MET-equivalent activity points decreased by 0.55 (95% CI: -1.09. -0.01) and 0.69 (95% CI: -1.05, -0.33). Findings of this study suggest that older adults living in adverse neighborhoods are at a greater risk of poor diet and physical inactivity, which are important risk factors for poor health and chronic diseases. Promoting neighborhood environments and perceived neighborhood safety would increase access to health food, encourage healthy diet and physical activity, and support healthy aging.

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