Walkability and Healthy Aging in Place for Older Adults in Edmonton, Alberta

Abstract

Background: Abundant evidence links the built environment (BE) and physical activity levels in older adults. Yet, the relationship of BE and other domains that are conducive for healthy aging and aging in place, have been insufficiently studied. This study investigated the relationship of macro-level neighbourhood walkability characteristics and older adults’ ability to "age healthily in place" as indicated by sense of belonging, sense of agency, physical functioning, and self-reported health (SRGH), with purposive walking mediating the relationships. Methods: Data from 213 community-dwelling older adults were collected from the Edmonton region in the winter season. Walk Score was used to assess neighbourhood walkability, IPAQ for purposive walking, Social Provisions Scale (SPS) for belonging, Personal Agency Scale for agency, PF-10 for physical functioning, and 1-item SRGH measure for health. Mediation analyses with ordinal logistic regressions were conducted to examine the association of neighbourhood walkability, purposive walking, and these outcomes. Results: Macro-level walkability was not associated with belonging, physical functioning, or self-rated general health. There was a very small effect size for walkability on agency (OR = 0.98). Moreover, walkability was not associated with purposive walking. Purposive walking was also not associated with any of the criterion variables when adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: Walkability was not associated with purposive walking and healthy aging components for older adults in Edmonton, Canada. Other factors may account for our findings and warrants further investigation regarding walking and healthy aging for seniors in automobile-oriented winter cities. In particular, attitudes and age-related changes in neighbourhood preference may provide insights to the unique findings of this study.