How do older women perceive their safety in urban outdoor environments?

Abstract

Backgrounds According to the elders' health as the main priority of Ageing in place, recent research focuses on better understanding of the elders' needs of perceived safety especially the elder women as the vulnerable group in urban open environments. The aim of this study is to explore the perception of elder women about safety and its related features in outdoor spaces according to promoting active ageing. Methodology We carried out a mixed-method study in which the data collection was conducted through content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were held with 54 older women (mean age 78.40 years). The participants were recruited in open spaces of Tehran applying the purposeful sampling and continued saturation during summer and fall of 2018. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The qualitative content analysis was used to extract sub-themes and main themes. In order to prioritize the extracted concepts, analytic hierarchy process was applied in quantitative analysis (AHP) in quantitative phase. Findings According to findings, the perception of safety in female elders can be described in three main themes consisting of psychological, functional and environmental safety, in that order of priority. Psychological safety includes fears of falling, getting lost, social limitation, anxiety, and social support or capital while functional safety consists of fears of public transportation, walkability, and physical activity. Finally, environmental safety comprises of fear of road traffic accidence, criminals, upkeep, incivility, and nuisance. Conclusion Our findings provide both personal and environmental features that can be targeted and requires implementation from policymakers and urban developers to meet the needs of growing older vulnerable population to achieve global active ageing goals.