Barriers to outdoor physical activity and unmet physical activity need in older adults

Abstract

Physical activity is a basic need, also in old age. However, many older people cannot fulfil this need, often due to walking limitations causing imbalance in person-environment fit. Decreased physical activity can lead to unmet physical activity need and restriction on life-space mobility. The opportunities to remain physically active depend on various factors, not all of which are equally achievable for all older adults. The aim was to investigate disparities in physical activity among older community-dwelling people, with a focus on functioning, environmental barriers and facilitators, and socioeconomic status (SES).The data were drawn from two studies conducted in Central Finland: Screening and Counseling for Physical Activity and Mobility (632 participants, 75% women, mean age 77.6) and Life-Space Mobility in Old Age (848 participants, 62% women, mean age 80.1). Walking limitations, SES, social support, environmental facilitators for outdoor walking and barriers to outdoor physical activity were self-reported. The outcome measures were unmet physical activity need, walking limitation and life-space mobility.Five outdoor physical activity barrier profiles were identified, in which people differed in health and functioning and vulnerability to the challenges of the environment. A higher number of environmental facilitators decreased the risk for walking limitation. The risk for unmet physical activity need increased along with the number of individual and environmental outdoor physical activity barriers, but was highest among people whose poor health and functioning hindered them from going outdoors. Low SES was associated with more restricted life-space mobility and unmet physical activity need, especially among persons with walking limitations.Disparities in physical activity can be traced back to various individual, social and environmental factors. The importance of the environment for physical activity is considerable especially among older people with walking limitations. Keywords ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis study was carried out at the Gerontology Research Center, Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. My deepest gratitude goes to the supervisors of this thesis, Professor Taina Rantanen and Mikaela von Bonsdorff, PhD. Taina, I can't stop wondering how you always have solutions to the most complex problems and answers to even the trickiest questions. I highly value your knowledge and experience in the field of gerontology and feel proud that I have been able to conduct my PhD thesis under your supervision. Mikaela, thank you for always having time for me and my questions, especially during the first year of my PhD studies. I admire your enthusiasm towards research and appreciate the guidance and advice that you have given me. I feel that we have become friends during these years. I sincerely thank Professor Teppo Kröger for his interest and supportive comments on this work. I also want to thank Research Director Katja Kokko at the Gerontology Research Center, and Director of t...

Factors Preventing the Use of Alternative Transport Modes to the Car in Later Life

“…The design of pedestrian/cycling environments was also identified as a barrier for walking and cycling. Poor quality of footpaths, (size, width and presence of steps), broken or uneven pavements, lack of footpath networks and resting places (e.g., benches), toilets in public spaces, cars and scooter parked on, or obstructing, sidewalks and shared walking/cycling environments were found to be the most reported issues [2,38,55,56,58,67,71,73,74,[77][78][79]119]. In this sense, an additional barrier found in studies from Northern countries is the presence of snow or ice along the pathway during the winter season [64].…”

“…Walking and cycling during particular times, such as during the night, or in some less salubrious areas of cities are perceived as dangerous [67,78,79]. A lack of adequate street lighting, the presence of dark areas as well as of people, either groups or individuals, "hanging out" are also seen as a deterrent to walking or cycling [73].…”

A review on the effects of physical built environment attributes on enhancing walking and cycling activity levels within residential neighborhoods

“…Lee and Moudon (2004) classified barriers to physical activities as opportunity barriers, distance barriers, access barriers, and safety barriers. Eronen et al (2014) categorized the barriers to outdoor walking and cycling activities into 5 major profiles: minor, ambient, insecurity, poor health and mobility limitations, to reflect the functional status of older adults. Baert, Gorus, Mets, Geerts, and Bautmans (2011) in their review identified 59 barriers to physical activities for elderly aged 80 and above.…”

Weather, day length and physical activity in older adults: Cross-sectional results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk Cohort

“…Older adults, who are more likely to experience functional and health declines, might be especially sensitive to poor weather conditions, which have been reported to have a detrimental influence on physical activity in younger age groups [5,8,9]. In the elderly there is evidence from qualitative studies that weather and seasonal factors may be associated with concerns such as poor visibility and slippery surfaces [10–12]. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the nature and magnitude of associations.…”