Operationalizing Environmental Indicators for Physical Activity in Older Adults
Click name to view affiliation
Search for other papers by Scott Strath in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Raymond Isaacs in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Michael J. Greenwald in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
This qualitative study describes environmental supports and barriers to physical activity in an older adult sample drawn from low- and high-walkable neighborhoods. Thirty-seven individuals age 55 and over were recruited and answered open-ended survey questions, with a subsample invited back to partake in a semistructured interview. Content analysis identified categories and themes linking perceptions of neighborhood-environment characteristics to activity. Emerging categories and themes did not differ across neighborhood walkability, so results are presented for both groups combined. Infrastructure was the most common category identified to encourage activity, specifically, well-maintained sidewalks, bike paths or lanes, and traffic control. Other categories of land use, landscape, and aesthetics were reported. Poorly maintained or missing sidewalks, crosswalks, bike paths or lanes, and traffic safety were categories that discouraged activity. In conclusion, the information obtained is helpful in solidifying which environmental characteristics are important to measure as they relate to activity behavior in an older adult population.
Strath is with the Dept. of Human Movement Sciences; Isaacs, the Dept. of Architecture; and Greenwald, the Dept. of Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI 53201-0413.
© 2023 Human Kinetics