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Direct and Indirect Associations Between the Built Environment and Leisure and Utilitarian Walking in Older Women
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Direct and Indirect Associations Between the Built Environment and Leisure and Utilitarian Walking in Older Women

Philip J Troped, Kosuke Tamura, Meghan H McDonough, Heather A Starnes, Peter James, Eran Ben-Joseph, Ellen Cromley, Robin Puett, Steven J Melly and Francine Laden
Annals of behavioral medicine, v 51(2), pp 282-291
Apr 2017
PMID: 27807683
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9852-2View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze) Open

Abstract

Aged Aged, 80 and over Environment Design Female Humans Leisure Activities Middle Aged Motivation Residence Characteristics Walking
The built environment predicts walking in older adults, but the degree to which associations between the objective built environment and walking for different purposes are mediated by environmental perceptions is unknown. We examined associations between the neighborhood built environment and leisure and utilitarian walking and mediation by the perceived environment among older women. Women (N = 2732, M  = 72.8 ± 6.8 years) from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California completed a neighborhood built environment and walking survey. Objective population and intersection density and density of stores and services variables were created within residential buffers. Perceived built environment variables included measures of land use mix, street connectivity, infrastructure for walking, esthetics, traffic safety, and personal safety. Regression and bootstrapping were used to test associations and indirect effects. Objective population, stores/services, and intersection density indirectly predicted leisure and utilitarian walking via perceived land use mix (odds ratios (ORs) = 1.01-1.08, 95 % bias corrected and accelerated confidence intervals do not include 1). Objective density of stores/services directly predicted ≥150 min utilitarian walking (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.22). Perceived land use mix (ORs = 1.16-1.44) and esthetics (ORs = 1.24-1.61) significantly predicted leisure and utilitarian walking, CONCLUSIONS: Perceived built environment mediated associations between objective built environment variables and walking for leisure and utilitarian purposes. Interventions for older adults should take into account how objective built environment characteristics may influence environmental perceptions and walking.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
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