Abstract
The degree to which individuals can accomplish outdoor activity by themselves or require support is an important facet of successful aging. While prior research focuses on participation in outdoor activity, understanding of older adults’ outdoor independence is limited. We adopt an ecological approach to examine the role of individual factors and environmental factors in explaining outdoor independence. Our sample comprised older adults aged 65 + living in a medium-sized city in Germany (N = 1070). The results show that being male, younger, and healthier was positively associated with outdoor independence, while living together was not. Further, outdoor independence decreased with higher levels of perceived environmental barriers. This negative association was moderated such that it was stronger for the less healthy and older participants. Based on our empirical findings, we offer insights for policy makers, urban planners, and community groups to design age-friendly communities and consequently facilitate outdoor independence among older adults.
Highlights
In an aging society, remaining independent and maintaining an active lifestyle is important to many older adults
This study investigated individual and environmental factors linked to outdoor independence in older adults
While previous studies showed a negative association between perceived environmental barriers and outdoor activity, we find a similar association for outdoor independence
Summary
In an aging society, remaining independent and maintaining an active lifestyle is important to many older adults. A particular type of activity is outdoor activity such as shopping, visiting friends, and attending social events. Outdoor activity can enhance quality of life (Vagetti et al 2015) and is perceived as more pleasurable than activity performed at home (Cabrita et al 2017). Participation in outdoor activity depends on the environment in which older adults live. Older adults residing in a supportive environment tend to be more active outside (Eronen et al 2013; Sugiyama and Thompson 2007). The role of the environment in explaining older adults’ outdoor activity has been studied extensively (Moran et al 2014; Rosso et al 2011) The overall finding is that various
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