Planning, Aging, and Loneliness: Reviewing Evidence About Built Environment Effects

2021 ◽  
pp. 088541222110351
Author(s):  
Yingying Lyu ◽  
Ann Forsyth
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Environment Quality ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Environment Effects ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Urban Contexts ◽  
Housing Options

Large numbers of people in many countries report being lonely with rates highest among the very old. Does the built environment affect loneliness among older people and if so, how? Using a scoping review, we examined associations between loneliness and built environments at the block, neighborhood, and city scales. The (1) neighborhood environment has received most attention. Research has also examined (2) urban contexts, (3) housing, and (4) transportation access. Findings are mixed with the stronger evidence that local resources, walkability, overall environment quality, housing options, and nearby transportation alternatives can help combat loneliness.

scholarly journals Neighbourhood built environments as correlates of hospital burden and premature mortality in Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M Mah ◽  
Claudia Sanmartin ◽  
Mylène Riva ◽  
Kaberi Dasgupta ◽  
Nancy Ross
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Elevated Risk ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Diabetes Status ◽  
Population Based Algorithm

IntroductionThe built environment can shape modifiable risk factors such as obesity, poor diet, and physical inactivity, and could be a policy lever for the reduction of chronic disease. In Canada, the health care costs related to chronic disease continue to rise and there have been few policy options offered. Objectives and ApproachWe examine the role of the built environment in hospital burden and premature mortality, with an emphasis on one of the highest burden diseases, Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Neighbourhood built environment measures for active living were derived using geographic information systems for respondents of the Canadian Community Health Survey, for whom we have linked hospitalization and mortality records. A combination of ICD codes, self-reported diabetes status, as well as a population-based algorithm identifying those at higher risk of developing diabetes were used to identify cases. Differences in hospitalization frequency, cumulative length of stay, and mortality are investigated. ResultsOver half a million hospitalization records were identified in our cohort of roughly 450,000 survey respondents. Key factors such as age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status are accounted for in modelling the association between neighborhood environment and hospitalization. Hospital burden and mortality in T2D patients are much higher than that of patients who do not report having the condition, and those at elevated risk of T2D display intermediate levels of hospitalization. Two-part hurdle models show evidence of an association between more walkable neighborhoods and lower hospitalization risk in non-T2D patients as well as those at elevated risk of developing T2D. The relationship between neighborhoods and the volume of chronic-disease related episodes as well as mortality is unclear, and under further investigation. Conclusion/ImplicationsElucidating the role of neighbourhood built environments on hospital burden and premature mortality for individuals with diabetes will provide insight as to the full range of clinical and non-clinical interventions that could feasibly address the needs of some the highest health care system users.

scholarly journals Built Environment, Physical Activity, and Obesity: Findings from the International Physical Activity and Environment Network (IPEN) Adult Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F. Sallis ◽  
Ester Cerin ◽  
Jacqueline Kerr ◽  
Marc A. Adams ◽  
Takemi Sugiyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
World Health ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Adult Study ◽  
Environment Variables

Creating more physical activity–supportive built environments is recommended by the World Health Organization for controlling noncommunicable diseases. The IPEN (International Physical Activity and Environment Network) Adult Study was undertaken to provide international evidence on associations of built environments with physical activity and weight status in 12 countries on 5 continents ( n > 14,000). This article presents reanalyzed data from eight primary papers to identify patterns of findings across studies. Neighborhood environment attributes, whether measured objectively or by self-report, were strongly related to all physical activity outcomes (accelerometer-assessed total physical activity, reported walking for transport and leisure) and meaningfully related to overweight/obesity. Multivariable indexes of built environment variables were more strongly related to most outcomes than were single-environment variables. Designing activity-supportive built environments should be a higher international health priority. Results provide evidence in support of global initiatives to increase physical activity and control noncommunicable diseases while achieving sustainable development goals.

scholarly journals The Associations of Built Environment with Older People Recreational Walking and Physical Activity in a Chinese Small-Scale City of Yiwu

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2699
Author(s):  
Jiabin Yu ◽  
Chen Yang ◽  
Xiaoguang Zhao ◽  
Zhexiao Zhou ◽  
Shen Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Residential Density ◽  
Street Connectivity ◽  
Access To Services ◽  
Recreational Walking

Physical activity would bring in plenty of health benefits, especially recreational physical activity (RPA). Previous studies have suggested that built environment would affect older people’s recreational walking (RW) and RPA, but how the effects exist in a small-scale Chinese city remains unclear. Two hundred and fifty-two older participants were recruited in the city of Yiwu using cross-sectional survey of random samples in 2019. RW and RPA level of participants and perceived scores of built environments were collected using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale, respectively. Linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate the association of built environment with older people’s RW and RPA. The results showed that two main factors affecting older people’s RW and RPA were residential density and aesthetics. Additionally, access to services was related to RW, and street connectivity was correlated with RPA. The associations of RW with built environment varied slightly with demographic variables included in the regression model. All the results suggested that lower residential density, better aesthetics environment, and higher street connectivity would motivate older people to engage more in RW and RPA. The better access to services encourages only RW, not RPA, in older people. These findings would be helpful for policy decision makers in the urban construction process in Yiwu. More studies are needed to enlarge the scientific evidence base about small-scale cities in China.

scholarly journals The Effect of the Built Environment on Older Men′s and Women′s Leisure-Time Physical Activity in the Mid-Scale City of Jinhua, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1039
Author(s):  
Jiabin Yu ◽  
Chen Yang ◽  
Shen Zhang ◽  
Diankai Zhai ◽  
Aiwen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Linear Regression Method ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Activity Questionnaire

Physical activity has been suggested to be beneficial in preventing disease and improving body function in older people. Older people’s leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is affected by various factors, especially environmental factors. However, the differences in the association between older people’s LTPA and the built environment in different sex groups remain unclear. Perceived built environment scores and older people’s LTPA were collected for 240 older people in Jinhua using the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale and International Physical Activity Questionnaire, respectively. A linear regression method was used to analyze the associations between older people’s LTPA and the built environment in men, women, and all participants. The results showed that land use mix diversity was associated with LTPA in older people for both sexes. In men, LTPA was also associated with access to services. However, in women, LTPA was associated with residential density, street connectivity, and crime safety. The relationship varied when demographic variables were incorporated into the regression analysis. Those results indicated that a shorter perceived distance from home to destination would motivate older people to engage more in LTPA. Older people’s LTPA was affected by various built environment factors according to different sex groups. Women’s LTPA was generally more sensitive to the built environment. More studies are needed to confirm the association between LTPA in older people and the built environment in men and women in mid- or small-sized Chinese cities in the future.

scholarly journals Simulating the effects of redesigned street-scale built environments on access/egress pedestrian flows to metro stations

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Liu ◽  
Dujuan Yang ◽  
Harry J. P. Timmermans ◽  
Bauke de Vries
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Route Choice ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Destination Choice ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Renewal Processes ◽  
City Center ◽  
Metro Station ◽  
Route Choice Behavior ◽  
The City

AbstractIn urban renewal processes, metro line systems are widely used to accommodate the massive traffic needs and stimulate the redevelopment of the local area. The route choice of pedestrians, emanating from or going to the metro stations, is influenced by the street-scale built environment. Many renewal processes involve the improvement of the street-level built environment and thus influence pedestrian flows. To assess the effects of urban design on pedestrian flows, this article presents the results of a simulation model of pedestrian route choice behavior around Yingkoudao metro station in the city center of Tianjin, China. Simulated pedestrian flows based on 4 scenarios of changes in street-scale built environment characteristics are compared. Results indicate that the main streets are disproportionally more affected than smaller streets. The promotion of an intensified land use mix does not lead to a high increase in the number of pedestrians who choose the involved route when traveling from/to the metro station, assuming fixed destination choice.

Perceptions of the Neighborhood Built Environment for Walking Behavior in Older Adults Living in Close Proximity

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482097925
Author(s):  
Florian Herbolsheimer ◽  
Atiya Mahmood ◽  
Nadine Ungar ◽  
Yvonne L. Michael ◽  
Frank Oswald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Walking Behavior ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Physical Limitations ◽  
Pedestrian Infrastructure ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment

Past research documents a discordance between perceived and objectively assessed neighborhood environmental features on walking behavior. Therefore, we examined differences in the perception of the same neighborhood built environment. Participants were grouped if they lived 400 m or closer to each other. The perception of the pedestrian infrastructure, neighborhood aesthetics, safety from crime, and safety from traffic was derived from a telephone survey from two North American metropolitan areas; 173 individuals were clustered into 42 groups. Older adults who walked for transport in their neighborhood experienced the same neighborhood as more walkable (β = .19; p = .011) with better pedestrian infrastructure (β = .16; p = .037). Older adults with physical limitations experienced the same neighborhood as less safe from crime (β = −.17; p = .030) and traffic (β = −.20; p = .009). The study supports the notion that individual behavior and physical restrictions alter the environment’s perception and explains part of the discordance between objective and subjective assessment of the neighborhood environment.

Validation of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) Items Using Geographic Information Systems

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (s1) ◽  
pp. S113-S123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc A. Adams ◽  
Sherry Ryan ◽  
Jacqueline Kerr ◽  
James F. Sallis ◽  
Kevin Patrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Geographic Information Systems ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Objective Measures

Background:Concurrent validity of Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) items was evaluated with objective measures of the built environment using geographic information systems (GIS).Methods:A sample of 878 parents of children 10 to 16 years old (mean age 43.5 years, SD = 6.8, 34.8% non-White, 63.8% overweight) completed NEWS and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. GIS was used to develop 1-mile street network buffers around participants’ residences. GIS measures of the built environment within participants’ buffers included percent of commercial and institutional land uses; number of schools and colleges, recreational facilities, parks, transit stops, and trees; land topography; and traffic congestion.Results:Except for trees and traffic, concordance between the NEWS and GIS measures were significant, with weak to moderate effect sizes (r = −0.09 to −0.36, all P ≤ 01). After participants were stratified by physical activity level, stronger concordance was observed among active participants for some measures. A sensitivity analysis of self-reported distance to 15 neighborhood destinations found a 20-minute (compared with 10- or 30-minute) walking threshold generally had the strongest correlations with GIS measures.Conclusions:These findings provide evidence of the concurrent validity of self-reported built environment items with objective measures. Physically active adults may be more knowledgeable about their neighborhood characteristics.

scholarly journals AGEING AND AGEING CITIES: HEALTHY AND FUNCTIONAL

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helianthe S.M. Kort
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Aged Population ◽  
Modern Cities

By 2050, 70% of the population will live in cities. The majority of the persons living in cities will be 60 plus years old. Ageing cities demands for cities environments to adapt to an ageing population. Modern cities though, don’t anticipate fast enough and in an adequate manner to face the challenges due to population-related transitions. Modifying and adapting the built environment with a focus on the aged population could help to support older people facing functional and cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Healing built-environment effects on health outcomes: environment–occupant–health framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 747-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufan Zhang ◽  
Patricia Tzortzopoulos ◽  
Mike Kagioglou
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Environment Effects
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