Abstract
ABSTRACTWe present an approach to exploring the role of environmental supportiveness in contributing to older people's quality of life (QoL), based on Little's ecological model (2010) in which individual and situational factors influence the personal projects of salience to individuals. Personal projects are self-generated and purpose-oriented activities or goals in which an individual is engaged (Little, 1983). The efficacy with which the pursuit of these activities is achieved depends on the nature of the project and the degree to which it is supported by external factors such as the environment. We explore the relationship between the outdoor environment and QoL, drawing on the concept of “environmental support” as presented by Sugiyama and Ward Thompson (2007a). There is a positive relationship between the number of outdoor personal projects older people participated in and measures indicative of their QoL. The relationship between perceived environmental support and QoL measures was significant in projects involving nature but not for other project types.
Highlights
In an aging society, maintaining mobility and being able to undertake desired activities in later life are recognized as important aspects of quality of life (QoL) and independent living (Mollenkopf, Hieber, & Wahl, 2011; Ziegler & Schwanen, 2011)
When we examined the contribution of supportiveness of the neighborhood environment (SNE) for different types of personal projects, perceived supportiveness for all types was positively associated with QoL in Study 1, and for all except utilitarian projects in Study 2
Positive relationship across two separate studies between the number of personal projects older people participated in and their QoL
Summary
In an aging society, maintaining mobility and being able to undertake desired activities in later life are recognized as important aspects of quality of life (QoL) and independent living (Mollenkopf, Hieber, & Wahl, 2011; Ziegler & Schwanen, 2011). This article describes the use of personal projects as a tool to elicit activities salient to the individual (Little, 2010) and assesses the perceived supportiveness of the outdoor environment for undertaking these activities. While the use of personal projects as a tool in understanding the relationship between environmental support and wellbeing has been established (Sugiyama & Ward Thompson, 2007a, 2007b; Wallenius, 1999), the current studies explore this further. Personal projects are units of analysis used in understanding a person in their social, physical, and temporal context (Little, 1983). Originally developed for use in personality psychology, personal projects have subsequently been used to explore outdoor activity in the context of the environment. Roe and Aspinall (2012) used personal projects analysis to understand activities of importance in supporting the well-being of adolescents.
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