Relationship between built environment attributes and physical function in Japanese community-dwelling older adults

Aim To explore the relationships between the built environment and older adults’ physical function. Methods The present cross-sectional study carried out in 2010–2012 used data drawn from 509 community-dwelling older adults aged 65–86 years living in Kasama City, a Japanese rural region. We evaluated physical function with the following performance tests: grip strength, sit-to-stand, timed up & go and walking speed. Using geographic information systems, we measured population density and the number of destinations related to daily life, community centers, medical facilities and recreational facilities within participants’ neighborhoods. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, we found lower population density was related to poor performance of sit-to-stand and walking speed in both sexes, and grip strength in women (trend P