Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods Study
Neighborhood Open Spaces (NOS) such as public spaces around people’s homes, parks and village greens, may support activity and socializing for older adults. These spaces might be especially important for older adults as they typically are less mobile and have smaller activity spaces and so...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Geriatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/4/3/41 |
| _version_ | 1828521200541761536 |
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| author | Tanja Schmidt Jacqueline Kerr Jasper Schipperijn |
| author_facet | Tanja Schmidt Jacqueline Kerr Jasper Schipperijn |
| author_sort | Tanja Schmidt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neighborhood Open Spaces (NOS) such as public spaces around people’s homes, parks and village greens, may support activity and socializing for older adults. These spaces might be especially important for older adults as they typically are less mobile and have smaller activity spaces and social networks than other age groups. The present exploratory sequential mixed methods study investigates the association between built environment features, social interaction, and walking within NOS, among older adults living in a low socio-economic neighborhood in Copenhagen. Interviews, the Community Park Audit Tool, and the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) were used to capture quantitative and qualitative data on 353 older adults (59−90 years old) within 11 NOS. Walking was predicted by the condition and shade along paths, seating and landscaping. Social interaction was negatively associated with walking, suggesting that older adults tend to sit down when engaging in social activities. Interviews highlighted the importance of social interaction within NOS. Future designs of NOS should acknowledge the importance of social meeting places, but at the same time provide walkable spaces for older adults to promote healthy aging. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T19:44:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d777ed656c6a459ea743c9d8a693e411 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2308-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T19:44:32Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geriatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d777ed656c6a459ea743c9d8a693e4112022-12-22T00:52:56ZengMDPI AGGeriatrics2308-34172019-07-01434110.3390/geriatrics4030041geriatrics4030041Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods StudyTanja Schmidt0Jacqueline Kerr1Jasper Schipperijn2Research Unit for Active Living, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, DenmarkResearch Unit for Active Living, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, DenmarkResearch Unit for Active Living, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, DenmarkNeighborhood Open Spaces (NOS) such as public spaces around people’s homes, parks and village greens, may support activity and socializing for older adults. These spaces might be especially important for older adults as they typically are less mobile and have smaller activity spaces and social networks than other age groups. The present exploratory sequential mixed methods study investigates the association between built environment features, social interaction, and walking within NOS, among older adults living in a low socio-economic neighborhood in Copenhagen. Interviews, the Community Park Audit Tool, and the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) were used to capture quantitative and qualitative data on 353 older adults (59−90 years old) within 11 NOS. Walking was predicted by the condition and shade along paths, seating and landscaping. Social interaction was negatively associated with walking, suggesting that older adults tend to sit down when engaging in social activities. Interviews highlighted the importance of social interaction within NOS. Future designs of NOS should acknowledge the importance of social meeting places, but at the same time provide walkable spaces for older adults to promote healthy aging.https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/4/3/41older adultsneighborhood open spacewalkingsocial interaction |
| spellingShingle | Tanja Schmidt Jacqueline Kerr Jasper Schipperijn Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods Study Geriatrics older adults neighborhood open space walking social interaction |
| title | Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods Study |
| title_full | Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods Study |
| title_fullStr | Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods Study |
| title_short | Associations between Neighborhood Open Space Features and Walking and Social Interaction in Older Adults—A Mixed Methods Study |
| title_sort | associations between neighborhood open space features and walking and social interaction in older adults a mixed methods study |
| topic | older adults neighborhood open space walking social interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/4/3/41 |
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