Abstract
The environments in which young and middle-aged adults live may influence their physical activity (PA) behaviours. These associations are less clear among older adults. We estimated cross-sectional and prospective associations of population density, junction density, and land use mix and perceived active living environments with accelerometer-assessed PA in a cohort of older adults. Adults living in more dense and mixed neighbourhoods had less optimal activity profiles at baseline and less optimal changes in activity. Better perceptions were associated with more overall PA at baseline. Interventions for older adults may wish to target individuals living in more dense and mixed neighbourhoods.
Highlights
Physical inactivity increases the risk of morbidity and premature mortality (Lear et al, 2017)
We found that participants living in more dense and mixed neigh bourhoods based on large-scale objectively-assessed Active living environments (ALEs) measures had less optimal activity profiles at baseline and less optimal changes in activity over follow-up
Increases in sedentary time (ST) and declines in light-intensity PA (LPA) were greater in participants living in the most compared to the least dense and mixed neighbour hoods (+2.3 min/day/year and − 1.4 min/day/year, respectively)
Summary
Physical inactivity increases the risk of morbidity and premature mortality (Lear et al, 2017). Older adults (≥65 years) are inactive with substantial increases in sedentary time (ST) and decreases in physical activity (PA) observed with increasing age (Guthold et al, 2018; Hajna et al, 2018). To reduce health care costs associated with the treatment of inactivity-related complications, older age represents an important intervention period (Fern, 2009). Many countries have implemented national recommendations to promote in creases in PA, improve health, and reduce the economic burden asso ciated with the treatment of physical inactivity-related complications (Das and Horton, 2016). There is no evidence, that these recommendations have led to population-level reductions in ST and increases in PA (Guthold et al, 2018; Das and Horton, 2016)
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