Abstract
Communities can play an important role in delivering public health programs to older adults, but they differ in the provision of local structures and resources. The community readiness (CR) approach applies a stage model of change to the community level and analyzes structures and the degree of willingness to take action on a health issue. This study compared the CR regarding the promotion of physical activity as part of healthy ageing for older adults among urban and rural communities in North-West Germany. A cross-sectional CR assessment with key respondents in 23 municipalities (11 urban and 12 rural communities) was conducted using a semi-structured interview. Interviews were scored across the five CR dimensions and global CR score was calculated (scores between 1 = no awareness and 9 = professionalization). Wilcoxon rank-sum test and hierarchical regression models were used to compare urban and rural communities. In total, 118 interviews were conducted (response rate 69.8%). On average, the communities showed moderate CR scores (4.9 ± 0.3; Range: 4.3–5.4; preplanning or preparation phase). The global CR score was slightly higher in rural than in urban communities (regression coefficient = 0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.02–0.59). The rural communities showed significantly higher CR scores in the ‘Knowledge of efforts’ dimension (0.70, 95% CI: 0.26–1.14) and in the ‘Knowledge of the issue’ (0.37, 95% CI: 0.04–0.70). Rural communities display a slightly higher CR level than urban communities. In the next step, targeted capacity building activities will be initiated among communities with low CR levels.
Highlights
IntroductionPhysical activity (PA) is an important contributor to healthy ageing [1,2] and it has been shown to be important for reducing the overall burden of disease [3,4]
In the step, targeted capacity building activities will be initiated among communities with low community readiness (CR) levels
Physical activity (PA) is an important contributor to healthy ageing [1,2] and it has been shown to be important for reducing the overall burden of disease [3,4]
Summary
Physical activity (PA) is an important contributor to healthy ageing [1,2] and it has been shown to be important for reducing the overall burden of disease [3,4]. Community contextual factors have a major influence on PA of community residents. The availability of programs or services, community social and economic conditions, and social networks are associated with better PA behavior [5,6,7,8,9]. Spatial variations and characteristics of the sociocultural environment in communities, for example, the degree of urbanization as well as the varying availability of infrastructures, networks, and other resources, play a major role in shaping the PA profile of communities. Residents of rural communities might have less access to preventive PA promotion services due to more scattered structures, greater geographic dispersion, and more transportation challenges like the absence or poorer availability of public transport or the need to rely on car transport [10]. Urban neighborhoods may have lower levels of social cohesion and sense of community
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