Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older Age
Background. Regular walking is critical to maintaining health in older age. We examined influences of individual and community factors on walking habits in older adults. Methods. We analyzed walking habits among participants of a prospective cohort study of 745 community-dwelling men and women, main...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Aging Research |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/382703 |
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| _version_ | 1832551983694741504 |
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| author | Elizabeth Procter-Gray Suzanne G. Leveille Marian T. Hannan Jie Cheng Kevin Kane Wenjun Li |
| author_facet | Elizabeth Procter-Gray Suzanne G. Leveille Marian T. Hannan Jie Cheng Kevin Kane Wenjun Li |
| author_sort | Elizabeth Procter-Gray |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. Regular walking is critical to maintaining health in older age. We examined influences of individual and community factors on walking habits in older adults. Methods. We analyzed walking habits among participants of a prospective cohort study of 745 community-dwelling men and women, mainly aged 70 years or older. We estimated community variations in utilitarian and recreational walking, and examined whether the variations were attributable to community differences in individual and environmental factors. Results. Prevalence of recreational walking was relatively uniform while prevalence of utilitarian walking varied across the 16 communities in the study area. Both types of walking were associated with individual health and physical abilities. However, utilitarian walking was also strongly associated with several measures of neighborhood socioeconomic status and access to amenities while recreational walking was not. Conclusions. Utilitarian walking is strongly influenced by neighborhood environment, but intrinsic factors may be more important for recreational walking. Communities with the highest overall walking prevalence were those with the most utilitarian walkers. Public health promotion of regular walking should take this into account. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-db9d68dcde294512a60e5a9193285596 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-2204 2090-2212 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Aging Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-db9d68dcde294512a60e5a91932855962025-02-03T05:59:53ZengWileyJournal of Aging Research2090-22042090-22122015-01-01201510.1155/2015/382703382703Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older AgeElizabeth Procter-Gray0Suzanne G. Leveille1Marian T. Hannan2Jie Cheng3Kevin Kane4Wenjun Li5Health Statistics and Geography Lab, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USACollege of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125-3393, USAInstitute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife/Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1200 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131-1097, USAHealth Statistics and Geography Lab, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USAHealth Statistics and Geography Lab, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USAHealth Statistics and Geography Lab, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USABackground. Regular walking is critical to maintaining health in older age. We examined influences of individual and community factors on walking habits in older adults. Methods. We analyzed walking habits among participants of a prospective cohort study of 745 community-dwelling men and women, mainly aged 70 years or older. We estimated community variations in utilitarian and recreational walking, and examined whether the variations were attributable to community differences in individual and environmental factors. Results. Prevalence of recreational walking was relatively uniform while prevalence of utilitarian walking varied across the 16 communities in the study area. Both types of walking were associated with individual health and physical abilities. However, utilitarian walking was also strongly associated with several measures of neighborhood socioeconomic status and access to amenities while recreational walking was not. Conclusions. Utilitarian walking is strongly influenced by neighborhood environment, but intrinsic factors may be more important for recreational walking. Communities with the highest overall walking prevalence were those with the most utilitarian walkers. Public health promotion of regular walking should take this into account.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/382703 |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth Procter-Gray Suzanne G. Leveille Marian T. Hannan Jie Cheng Kevin Kane Wenjun Li Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older Age Journal of Aging Research |
| title | Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older Age |
| title_full | Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older Age |
| title_fullStr | Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older Age |
| title_short | Variations in Community Prevalence and Determinants of Recreational and Utilitarian Walking in Older Age |
| title_sort | variations in community prevalence and determinants of recreational and utilitarian walking in older age |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/382703 |
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