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Can aging-in-place be promoted by the built environment near home for physical activity: a case study of non-Hispanic White elderly in Texas

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Abstract

With an emphasis on environmental factors correlated with physical activity, this research investigates environmental influences on aging-in-place measured by the number of years living at home after age 65 and before moving to a senior-living institution. It clarifies that aging-in-place can be promoted by nearby outdoor environments supportive of physical activity and the significant environmental factors exist at both the residential lot and neighborhood levels. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey completed by 206 senior-living older adults in Texas, who were not living in a traditional community setting anymore. Geographic information systems were used to objectively measure the physical environments of 117 sample sites. Twenty-five environmental features at residential lot and neighborhood levels were investigated. To compare the lengths of aging-in-place among participants with different environmental factors near their community dwellings, ANOVA tests were applied. Non-Hispanic White participants who had walkable environments, wide side areas on residential lots, and destinations for walking in neighborhoods maintained residence at home an average of 3.53-year longer than their counterparts (p < 0.01). Developing supportive environments for older adults’ physical activities near home may help them achieve and maintain a balance between their functional abilities and their living environments, thereby leading to more years of aging-in-place. This research fills a research gap by investigating environmental influences on aging-in-place through physical activity. The findings are expected to have a direct impact on both design and planning of environments for older adults.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture, Henan University, Kaifeng, China

    Zhe Wang

  2. El Dorado Hills, CA, USA

    Zhe Wang

  3. Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Mardelle McCuskey Shepley

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  1. Zhe Wang
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  2. Mardelle McCuskey Shepley
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Correspondence to Zhe Wang.

Appendix

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Table 2 Descriptive statistics of variables tested to be insignificant
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Wang, Z., Shepley, M.M. Can aging-in-place be promoted by the built environment near home for physical activity: a case study of non-Hispanic White elderly in Texas. J Hous and the Built Environ 33, 749–766 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-017-9584-z

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