Perceptions of the Built Environment and Associations With Walking Among Retirement Village Residents

Abstract

Housing options, such as retirement villages, that promote and encourage healthy behaviors are needed to accommodate the growing older adult population. To examine how environmental perceptions relate to walking, residents of retirement villages in Perth, Australia, were sampled, and associations between a wide range of village and neighborhood environmental attributes and walking leisurely, briskly, and for transport were examined. Perceived village features associated with walking included aesthetics (odds ratio [OR] = 1.72), personal safety (OR = 0.43), and services and facilities (OR = 0.80), whereas neighborhood attributes included fewer physical barriers (OR = 1.37) and proximate destinations (OR = 1.93). Findings suggest that locating retirement villages in neighborhoods with many local destinations may encourage more walking than providing many services and facilities within villages. Indeed, safe villages rich with amenities were shown to be related to less walking in residents. These findings have implications for the location, design, and layout of retirement villages.

Walking in two French neighborhoods: A study of how park numbers and locations relate to everyday walking

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Examining correlates of self-reported and objectively measured physical activity among retirement village residents

“…The list of member villages was ranked by an objective neighbourhood walkability score, the details of which are published elsewhere [12]. Managers of the highest and lowest ranked villages were systematically contacted by mail and telephone, until 32 villages agreed to participate in the study (48.6% response rate).…”

Older Adults’ Outdoor Walking: Inequalities in Neighbourhood Safety, Pedestrian Infrastructure and Aesthetics

“…Physical changes associated with the aging process may reduce older adults’ confidence or ability to handle their interactions with the built environment [39]. Therefore, for older adults, the same built environmental constraint (e.g., uneven pavement) may be assessed more challenging than for younger adults [40]. Thus, examining subjectively measured (or perceived) neighbourhood built environment attributes is important in studies on older adults’ walking.…”