Bringing the “Place” to Life-Space in Gerontology Research

Abstract

Understanding older adults’ relationships with their environments and the way this relationship evolves over time have been increasingly acknowledged in gerontological research. This relationship is often measured in terms of life-space, defined as the spatial area through which a person moves within a specific period of time. Life-space is traditionally reported using questionnaires or travel diaries and is, thus, subject to inaccuracies. More recently, studies are using a global positioning system to accurately measure life-space. Although life-space provides useful insights into older adults’ relationships with their environment, it does not capture the inherent complexities of environmental exposures. In the fields of travel behaviour and health geography, a substantial amount of research has looked at people’s spatial behaviour using the notion of “Activity Space,” allowing for increasing sophistication in understanding older adults’ experience of their environment. This manuscript discusses developments and directions for extending the life-space framework in environmental gerontology by drawing on the advancements in the activity space framework.

What triggers selective daily mobility among older adults? A study comparing trip and environmental characteristics between observed path and shortest path

“…Over the past decade, assessing the effects of environmental exposure on older adults' health has evolved from the residence-centered approach as assessed by the life-space concept used in environmental gerontology [4], [5] to the activity space concept [6] which acknowledges the importance of individuals' daily mobility [7], [8]. Indeed, in addition to the environmental characteristics of their direct residential neighborhood, older adults are exposed to numerous and contrasting environments in the course of their daily mobility, which contribute to shaping their health.…”

Availability of healthy foods, fruit and vegetable consumption, and cognition among urban older adults

“…Fourth, we could not examine whether better perceived availability of healthy foods is associated with more frequent shopping and going out. The use of person-specific, GPS-based activity space [ 48 – 50 ], accurate measures of physical activity using digital technology, and smartphone-administered EMA cognition measures will provide high resolution spatio-temporal data and allow us to examine precise behavioral mechanisms through which neighborhood food environments are associated with older adults’ cognitive health. By identifying precise behavioral-level mechanisms through which contexts are associated with cognitive health, we will be able to design population- and individual-level interventions to promote cognitive health.…”

Life Space and Activity Space Measurement: Making “Room” for Structural Racism

“…Life space refers to the socioecological environment in which an individual lives. The term describes movements in one’s environment such as leaving the house or neighborhood ( Bayat et al, 2021 ; Johnson et al, 2020 ). The concept of life space was first introduced by May and colleagues in 1985 to define the area that participants moved within a specific period of time ( May et al, 1985 ).…”

“…In 1970, the term activity space appeared, which was first developed by behavioral geographers ( Brown & Moore, 1970 ; Horton & Reynolds, 1970 ; Patterson & Farber, 2015 ). The concept has since evolved and is applied in multiple disciplines such as urban and transportation planning, epidemiology, and public health but has been rarely used in gerontology research ( Bayat et al, 2021 ; Smith et al, 2019 ; Patterson & Farber, 2015 ). Cagney and colleagues (2013) further developed the activity space concept, defining it as the set of places where social networks, neighborhoods, and institutions overlap in a person’s daily life.…”

“…Activity space itself, or social or physical environments within activity spaces, can be measured using multiple objective and subjective measures including Global Positioning System (GPS) or Geographic Information Systems combined with questionnaires or diaries designed to elicit self-reported activities ( Wong & Shaw, 2011 ; Yi et al, 2019 ; Zenk et al, 2019 ). Conceptually, activity space has utility when examining primary spaces where individuals spend time outside the home ( Bayat et al, 2021 ; Hirsch et al, 2014 ). From a practical perspective, activity spaces are holistic, interactive, and relational, and include health-related and environmental factors individuals encounter in their daily lives ( Crawford et al, 2014 ; Golledge & Stimson, 1997 ; Mason et al, 2010 ; Sherman et al, 2005 ).…”