Correlates of changes in walking during the retirement transition: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Retirement from employment involves disruption in daily routines and has been associated with positive and negative changes in physical activity. Walking is the most common physical activity among older Americans. The factors that influence changes in walking after retirement are unknown. The study objective was to identify correlates of within-person change in recreational walking (for leisure) and transport walking (to get places) during the retirement transition among a multi-ethnic cohort of adults (N = 928) from six US communities. Correlates were measured at the individual (e.g., gender), interpersonal (e.g., social support), and community (e.g., density of walking destinations) levels at study exams between 2000 and 2012. Comparing pre- and post-retirement measures (average 4.5 years apart), 50% of participants increased recreational walking by 60 min or more per week, 31% decreased by 60 min or more per week, and 19% maintained their recreational walking. Forty-one percent of participants increased transport walking by 60 min or more per week, 40% decreased by 60 min or more per week, and 19% maintained their transport walking after retirement. Correlates differed for recreational and transport walking and for increases compared to decreases in walking. Self-rated health, chronic conditions, and perceptions of the neighborhood walking environment were associated with changes in both types of walking after retirement. Further, some correlates differed by gender and retirement age. Findings can inform the targeting of interventions to promote walking during the retirement transition.

Socioeconomic Differences in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior During the Retirement Transition: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies

“…This search process led to the inclusion of 21 articles. [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Subsequently, we screened the references and citations of these included articles and of previous published reviews on the topic. [8][9][10][11]23,49,50 This resulted in the inclusion of 3 additional articles.…”

Physical Activity Facilitators and Barriers Among Retired Women in North Carolina

“…retired British women [22]. Caregiving was associated with decreased physical activity among US retirees in one prior study [39], but not two others [37,40]. Differences in the type and intensity of caregiving could contribute to varied findings across studies.…”

Effect of Major Life Events on Travel Behaviours: A Scoping Review

“…Twenty-two studies reported in 23 articles examined the effect of retirement on travel behaviour (Table S7). This included six qualitative papers [50][51][52]72,79,80] and 17 quantitative papers [29,57,58,[65][66][67]73,77,[81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89]. Of the quantitative studies, four reported significant declines in AT [76,82,83] or walking for transport [89].…”

“…This included six qualitative papers [50][51][52]72,79,80] and 17 quantitative papers [29,57,58,[65][66][67]73,77,[81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89]. Of the quantitative studies, four reported significant declines in AT [76,82,83] or walking for transport [89]. Sprod et al [88] also reported a significant decline in motorized travel and Siren et al [86] reported a decline in driving frequency and annual mileage.…”

“…Rau and Manton's descriptive study [57] suggested a shift towards sustainable modes, but only five participants were retired. Three large prospective studies found that retirement had no effect on travel behaviour [65,82,83], and one found a small effect in only one of eight models [67]. Scheiner and Holz-Rau [68] found no change in trip rates, but mentioned that "in terms of modal shares it [retirement] is associated with less driving and more non-motorised travel" (p. 179).…”