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Walk-friendly suburbs for older adults? Exploring the enablers and barriers to walking in a large suburban municipality in Canada
- Source :
- Journal of Aging Studies. 35:10-19
- Publication Year :
- 2015
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2015.
-
Abstract
- The neighbourhood environment may enable active aging by allowing the integration of walking into an older adult's daily routine. This study explores the relationship between the neighbourhood built environment and walking among a small group of older adults in a large suburban municipality in Canada. In-depth interviews using a photo-voice approach revealed that the participants walked largely to accumulated physical activity. Older adults who lived in either conventional residential or condominium neighbourhoods discussed poor traffic conditions and lack of benches/trees/places as barriers, and proximity to parks and access to shops as enablers to walking. Poor sidewalk quality, absence of street lights and personal safety concerns were major barriers to walking only for those living in suburban residential neighbourhoods. Our results indicate that high quality- and safe walking infrastructure may facilitate walking for physical activity among older adults living in the suburban communities.
- Subjects :
- Male
Canada
Health Behavior
Poison control
Walking
Level design
Suicide prevention
Occupational safety and health
Residence Characteristics
Urban planning
Surveys and Questionnaires
Environmental health
Humans
City Planning
Neighbourhood (mathematics)
Built environment
Aged
Health Policy
Suburban Population
General Medicine
Issues, ethics and legal aspects
Geography
population characteristics
Environment Design
Female
human activities
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 08904065
- Volume :
- 35
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Aging Studies
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3c4c1486356d3eb11076a38fabaf5fff