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The Uncommon Impact of Common Environmental Details on Walking in Older Adults

Author

Listed:
  • Katherine Brookfield

    (Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 9DF, UK)

  • Catharine Ward Thompson

    (Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 9DF, UK)

  • Iain Scott

    (Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 9DF, UK)

Abstract
Walking is the most common form of physical activity amongst older adults. Older adults’ walking behaviors have been linked to objective and perceived neighborhood and street-level environmental attributes, such as pavement quality and mixed land uses. To help identify components of walkable environments, this paper examines some of these environmental attributes and explores their influence on this population’s walking behaviors. It draws on focus group and interview data collected from 22 purposively sampled older adults aged 60 years and over. These participants presented a range of functional and cognitive impairments including stroke and dementia. In line with past research, we detail how various everyday aspects of urban environments, such as steps, curbs and uneven pavements, can, in combination with person-related factors, complicate older adults’ outdoor mobility while others, such as handrails and benches, seem to support and even encourage movement. Importantly, we delineate the influence of perceptions on mobility choices. We found that, in some instances, it is the meanings and possibilities that older adults derive from aspects of the environment, such as street cameras and underpasses, rather than the aspects per se, which shape behavior. The implications for policy and practice are considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Katherine Brookfield & Catharine Ward Thompson & Iain Scott, 2017. "The Uncommon Impact of Common Environmental Details on Walking in Older Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-10, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:2:p:190-:d:90301
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Milligan, Christine & Gatrell, Anthony & Bingley, Amanda, 2004. "'Cultivating health': therapeutic landscapes and older people in northern England," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(9), pages 1781-1793, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ziwen Sun & Iain Scott & Simon Bell & Xiaomeng Zhang & Lan Wang, 2021. "Time Distances to Residential Food Amenities and Daily Walking Duration: A Cross-Sectional Study in Two Low Tier Chinese Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Valkiria Amaya & Thibauld Moulaert & Luc Gwiazdzinski & Nicolas Vuillerme, 2022. "Assessing and Qualifying Neighborhood Walkability for Older Adults: Construction and Initial Testing of a Multivariate Spatial Accessibility Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Sadiq R. Younes & Bruno Marques & Jacqueline McIntosh, 2024. "Public Spaces for Older People: A Review of the Relationship between Public Space to Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-16, May.
    4. Marica Cassarino & Eleanor Bantry-White & Annalisa Setti, 2019. "Cognitive and Sensory Dimensions of Older People’s Preferences of Outdoor Spaces for Walking: A Survey Study in Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-12, April.
    5. Marcia G. Ory & Matthew Lee Smith, 2017. "What If Healthy Aging Is the ‘New Normal’?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-5, November.
    6. Ziwen Sun & Ka Yan Lai & Simon Bell & Iain Scott & Xiaomeng Zhang, 2019. "Exploring the Associations of Walking Behavior with Neighborhood Environments by Different Life Stages: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Smaller Chinese City," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-16, December.
    7. Wyatt A. Jensen & Barbara B. Brown & Ken R. Smith & Simon C. Brewer & Jonathan W. Amburgey & Brett McIff, 2017. "Active Transportation on a Complete Street: Perceived and Audited Walkability Correlates," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, September.

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