Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:49:13.322Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The impact of measures taken in the outdoor environment on an ageing population: a panel study over a ten-year period

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 November 2016

BERGLIND HALLGRIMSDOTTIR  and
AGNETA STÅHL
BERGLIND HALLGRIMSDOTTIR*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Sweden.
AGNETA STÅHL
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Sweden.
*
Address for correspondence: Berglind Hallgrimsdottir, Department of Technology and Society, Box 118, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

For older people mobility and participation in activities can be restricted both by individual factors and by the environment. The aim of this paper was to examine the longitudinal impact of measures taken in the outdoor environment on an ageing population. The following factors were examined on three occasions over a nine-year period: frequency of walking; differences in report on environmental barriers; and reported valuation of the outdoor environment; and how these relate to different characteristics. At the second follow-up, the respondents experienced more functional limitations and more were using mobility devices than at baseline. At the first and second follow-up, the respondents did not experience as many environmental barriers in their outdoor environment compared to baseline. However, frequency of walking and evaluation of the outdoor environment decreased in general between baseline and first- and second follow-up. A quite promising result from the study is that compared to people not using mobility devices, mobility device users were more likely to be frequent walkers at first- and second follow-up than at baseline. Likewise, at second follow-up respondents having functional limitations were less likely to experience traffic barriers than at baseline. In terms of accessibility, usability and mobility for an ageing population, the results are promising, showing that measures in the outdoor environment can possibly facilitate walking for those who are more fragile, even in a longitudinal perspective.

Keywords

accessibilityusabilityolder peopleenvironmental barrierswalking frequencymobility devices
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , February 2018 , pp. 217 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alsnih, R. and Hensher, D. A. 2003. The mobility and accessibility expectations of seniors in an aging population. Transportation Research Part A, 37, 10, 903–16.Google Scholar
Amann, A., Reiterer, B., Risser, R. and Haindl, G. 2006. Life Quality of Senior Citizens in Relation to Mobility Preconditions. Final Report of the EU-Project SIZE. Institute of Sociology of the University of Vienna and FACTUM Chaloupka & Risser OHG, Vienna.Google Scholar
Amici, D. D., Klersy, C., Ramajoli, F., Brustia, L. and Politi, P. 2000. Impact of the Hawthorne effect in a longitudinal clinical study: the case of anesthesia. Controlled Clinical Trials, 21, 2, 103–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baltes, P. B. 1997. On the incomplete architecture of human ontogeny: selection, optimization and compensation as foundation of developmental theory. American Psychologist, 52, 4, 366–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baltes, P. and Baltes, M. 1990. Psychological perspectives on successful aging: the model of Selective Optimization with Compensation. In Baltes, P. and Baltes, M. (eds), Successful Aging: Perspectives from the Behavioral Sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 22–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baltes, P. B. and Smith, J. 2003. New frontiers in the future of aging: from successful aging of the young old to the dilemmas of the fourth age. Gerontology, 49, 2, 123–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banister, D. and Bowling, A. 2004. Quality of life for the elderly: the transport dimension. Transport Policy, 11, 2, 105–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brandt, Å., Iwarsson, S. and Ståhl, A. 2003. Satisfaction with rollators among community-living users: a follow-up study. Disability & Rehabilitation, 25, 7, 343–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bukov, A., Maas, I. and Lampert, T. 2002. Social participation in very old age: cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from BASE. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57B, 6, P510–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlsson, G., Iwarsson, S. and Ståhl, A. 2002. The personal component of accessibility at group level: exploring the complexity of functional capacity. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9, 3, 100–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chatterji, S., Byles, J., Cutler, D., Seeman, T. and Verdes, E. 2014. Health, functioning, and disability in older adults – present status and future implications. The Lancet, 385, 9967, 563–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, R., Hardy, R., Aihie Sayer, A., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Birnie, K., Cooper, C., Craig, L., Deary, I. J., Demakakos, P., Gallacher, J., McNeill, G., Martin, R. M., Starr, J. M., Steptoe, A. and Kuh, D. 2011. Age and gender differences in physical capability levels from mid-life onwards: the harmonisation and meta-analysis of data from eight UK cohort studies. PloS ONE, 6, 11, e27899.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Curl, A., Ward Thompson, C. and Aspinall, P. 2015. The effectiveness of ‘shared space’ residential street interventions on self-reported activity levels and quality of life for older people. Landscape and Urban Planning, 139, 117–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davey, J. A. 2006. Older people and transport: coping without a car. Ageing & Society, 27, 1, 49–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawson, J., Hillsdon, M., Boller, I. and Foster, C. 2007. Perceived barriers to walking in the neighbourhood environment and change in physical activity levels over 12 months. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 41, 9, 562–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dehlin, O. and Rundgren, Å. 2007. Geriatrik [Geriatrics]. Volume 2, Studentlitteratur, Lund, Sweden.Google Scholar
Delbaere, K., Crombez, G., Vanderstraeten, G., Willems, T. and Cambier, D. 2004. Fear-related avoidance of activities, falls and physical frailty. A prospective community-based cohort study. Age and Ageing, 33, 4, 368–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DiPietro, L. 2001. Physical activity in aging: changes in patterns and their relationship to health and function. Journals of Gerontology, 56A, supplement 2, 13–22.Google Scholar
ECMT 2013. Accessibility for People with Reduced Mobility. Available online at http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/IntOrg/ecmt/accessibility/accessibility.html [Accessed 20 June 2013].Google Scholar
Erickson, K. I., Voss, M. W., Prakash, R. S., Basak, C., Szabo, A., Chaddock, L., Kim, J. S., Heo, S., Alves, H., White, S. M., Wojcicki, T. R., Mailey, E., Vieira, V. J., Martin, S. A., Pence, B. D., Woods, J. A., McAuley, E. and Kramer, A. F. 2011. Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108, 7, 3017–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eronen, J., Bonsdorff, M., Rantakokko, M. and Rantanen, T. 2014. Environmental facilitators for outdoor walking and development of walking difficulty in community-dwelling older adults. European Journal of Ageing, 11, 1, 67–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fänge, A. and Ivanoff, S. D. 2009. The home is the hub of health in very old age: findings from the ENABLE-AGE Project. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 48, 3, 340–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gill, T. M., Allore, H. G., Hardy, S. E. and Guo, Z. 2006. The dynamic nature of mobility disability in older persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54, 2, 248–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodpaster, B. H., Park, S. W., Harris, T. B., Kritchevsky, S. B., Nevitt, M., Schwartz, A. V., Simonsick, E. M., Tylavsky, F. A., Visser, M. and Newman, A. B. 2006. The loss of skeletal muscle strength, mass and quality in older adults: the health, aging and body composition study. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science, 61A, 10, 1059–64.Google Scholar
Hallgrimsdottir, B., Svensson, H. and Ståhl, A. 2015. Long term effects of an intervention in the outdoor environment. Journal of Transport Geography, 42, 90–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hjorthol, R. 2012. Transport resources, mobility and unmet transport needs in old age. Ageing & Society. 33, 7, 1190–211.Google Scholar
Hjorthol, R. 2013. Winter weather – an obstacle to older people's activities? Journal of Transport Geography, 28, 186–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hovbrandt, P., Fridlund, B. and Carlsson, G. 2007. Very old people's experience of occupational performance outside the home: possibilities and limitations. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 14, 2, 77–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hovbrandt, P., Ståhl, A., Iwarsson, S., Horstmann, V. and Carlsson, G. 2007. Very old people's use of the pedestrian environment: functional limitations, frequency of activity and environmental demands. European Journal of Ageing, 4, 4, 201–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, V. A., Frontera, W. R., Wood, M., Evans, W. J., Dallal, G. E., Roubenoff, R. and Singh, M. A. F. 2001. Longitudinal muscle strength changes in older adults: influence of muscle mass, physical activity and health. Journals of Gerontology: Biological Science, 56A, 5, B209–17.Google Scholar
ISEMOA 2013. Improving Seamless Energy – Efficient Mobility Chains for All. Available online at http://isemoa.eu/index.php [Accessed 20 June 2013].Google Scholar
Iwarsson, S. 2005. A long-term perspective on person–environment fit and ADL dependence among older Swedish adults. The Gerontologist, 45, 3, 327–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Iwarsson, S. and Slaug, B. 2010. Housing Enabler; metodik för bedömning/kartläggning och analys av tillgänglighetsproblem i boendet [Housing Enabler; A Method for Assessing/Examining and Analysing Accessibility Problems in Houses]. Volume 2, Walling & Dalholm, Lund, Sweden.Google Scholar
Iwarsson, S. and Ståhl, A. 2003. Accessibility, usability and universal design-positioning and definition of concepts describing person–environment relationships. Disability & Rehabilitation, 25, 2, 57–66.Google ScholarPubMed
Iwarsson, S., Ståhl, A. and Löfqvist, C. 2013. Mobility in outdoor environments in old age. In Rowles, G. and Bernard, M. (eds), Environmental Gerontology: Making Meaningful Places in Old Age. Springer, New York, 175–99.Google Scholar
Kerr, J., Rosenberg, D. and Frank, L. 2012. The role of the built environment in healthy aging: community design, physical activity, and health among older adults. Journal of Planning Literature, 27, 43–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lampinen, P., Heikkinen, RL., Kauppinen, M. and Heikkinen, E. 2006. Activity as a predictor of mental well-being among older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 10, 5, 454–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lavery, I., Davey, S., Woodside, A. and Ewart, K. 1996. The vital role of street design and management in reducing barriers to older peoples’ mobility. Landscape and Urban Planning, 35, 181–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawton, M. P. and Nahemow, L. 1973. Ecology and the aging process. In Eisdorfer, C. and Lawton, M. P. (eds), Psychology of Adult Development and Aging. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 619–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levasseur, M., Desrosiers, J. and St-Cyr Tribble, D. 2008. Do quality of life, participation and environment of older adults differ according to level of activity? Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 6, 30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lin, L. and Moudon, A. V. 2010. Objective versus subjective measures of the built environment, which are most effective in capturing associations with walking? Health & Place, 16, 2, 339–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lloyd, L., Calnan, M., Cameron, A., Seymour, J. and Smith, R. 2014. Identity in the fourth age: perseverance, adaptation and maintaining dignity. Ageing & Society, 34, 1, 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lofqvist, C., Nygren, C., Brandt, A. and Iwarsson, S. 2009. Very old Swedish women's experiences of mobility devices in everyday occupation: a longitudinal case study. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 16, 3, 181–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mendes de Leon, C., Cagney, K. A., Bienias, J. L., Barnes, L. L., Skarupski, K. A., Scherr, P. A. and Evans, D. A. 2009. Neighbourhood social cohesion and disorder in relation to walking in community-dwelling older adults – a multilevel analysis. Journal of Aging and Health, 21, 1, 155–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Michael, Y. L., Green, M. K. and Farquhar, S. A. 2006. Neighborhood design and active aging. Health & Place, 12, 4, 734–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nordbakke, S. 2013. Capabilities for mobility among urban older women: barriers, strategies and options. Journal of Transport Geography, 26, 166–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nordbakke, S. and Schwanen, T. 2014. Transport, unmet activity needs and wellbeing in later life: exploring the links. Transportation, 42, 6, 1129–51.Google Scholar
Phillips, J., Walford, N., Hockey, A., Foreman, N. and Lewis, M. 2013. Older people and outdoor environments: pedestrian anxieties and barriers in the use of familiar and unfamiliar spaces. Geoforum, 47, 113–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prop. 1999/2000:79. Från patient till medborgare [From Patient to Citizen: A National Action Plan for Disability Policy]. Available online at http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/108/a/1478 [Accessed 20 June 2012].Google Scholar
Risser, R., Haindl, G. and Ståhl, A. 2010. Barriers to senior citizens’ outdoor mobility in Europe. European Journal of Ageing, 7, 2, 69–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenberg, D. E., Huang, D. L., Simonovich, S. D. and Belza, B. 2013. Outdoor built environment barriers and facilitators to activity among midlife and older adults with mobility disabilities. The Gerontologist, 53, 2, 268–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Samuelsson, K. and Wressle, E. 2008. User satisfaction with mobility assistive devices: an important element in the rehabilitation process. Disability and Rehabilitation, 30, 7, 551–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shumway-Cook, A., Patla, A., Stewart, A., Ferrucci, L., Ciol, M. A. and Guralnik, J. M. 2003. Environmental components of mobility disability in community-living older persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 51, 3, 393–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Simonsick, E. M., Guralnik, J. M., Volpato, S., Balfour, J. and Fried, L. P. 2005. Just get out the door! Importance of walking outside the home for maintaining mobility: findings from the women's health and aging study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53, 2, 198–203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spirduso, W. W. and Cronin, D. L. 2001. Exercise dose–response effects on quality of life and independent living in older adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 33, 6, S598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stjernborg, V., Emilsson, U. M. and Ståhl, A. 2014. Changes in outdoor mobility when becoming alone in the household in old age. Journal of Transport & Health, 1, 1, 9–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ståhl, A. and Berntman, M. 2007. Falls in the outdoor environment among older persons – a tool to predict accessibility. In Proceedings of the 20th ICTCT Workshop, Valencia, Spain, 2007.Google Scholar
Ståhl, A., Carlsson, G., Hovbrandt, P. and Iwarsson, S. 2008. ‘Let's go for a walk!’: identification and prioritisation of accessibility and safety measures involving elderly people in a residential area. European Journal of Ageing, 5, 3, 265–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ståhl, A., Horstmann, V. and Iwarsson, S. 2013. A five-year follow-up among older people after an outdoor environment intervention. Transport Policy, 27, 134–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stålbrand, I. S., Svensson, T., Elmståhl, S., Hortsmann, V., Hagberg, B., Dehlin, O. and Samuelsson, G. 2007. Subjective health and illness, coping and life satisfaction in an 80 year old Swedish population – implications for mortalitty. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 14, 3, 173–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swedish Board of Housing, Building and Planning 2011. Tillgänglighet på allmänna platser [Accessibility in Public Places]. BFS 2011:5 ALM2. Available online at http://www.boverket.se/Lag-ratt/Boverkets-forfattningssamling/BFS-efter-forkortning/ALM/ [Accessed 10 November 2012].Google Scholar
Swedish Board of Housing, Building and Planning 2013. Enkelt avhjälpta hinder [Easily Removed Barriers]. BFS 2013:9 HIN3. Available online at http://www.boverket.se/Lag-ratt/Boverkets-forfattningssamling/BFS-efter-forkortning/HIN/ [Accessed 22 September 2014].Google Scholar
Takata, Y., Ansai, T., Soh, I., Awano, S., Yoshitake, Y., Kimura, Y., Sonoki, K., Kagiyama, S., Yoshida, A., Nakamichi, I., Hamasaki, T., Torisu, T., Toyoshima, K. and Takehara, T. 2010. Quality of life and physical fitness in an 85-year-old population. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 50, 3, 272–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations 2013. World Population Ageing 2013. Department of Economics and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York.Google Scholar
Valdemarsson, M., Jernryd, E. and Iwarsson, S. 2005. Preferences and frequencies of visits to public facilities in old age – a pilot study in a Swedish town center. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 40, 1, 15–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahl, C., Svensson, Å. and Hydén, C. 2011. The link between traffic-related occurrence and annoyance. IATSS Research, 35, 2, 111–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahl, H.-W., Fänge, A., Oswald, F., Gitlin, L. N. and Iwarsson, S. 2009. The home environment and disability-related outcomes in aging individuals: what is the empirical evidence? The Gerontologist, 49, 3, 355–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wåhlin-Larsson, B., Carnac, G. and Fawzi, K. 2014. The influence on skeletal muscle in physically active elderly woman. Age, 36, 5, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward Thompson, C., Curl, A., Aspinall, P., Alves, S. and Zuin, A. 2012. Do changes to the local street environment alter behaviour and quality of life of older adults: the DIY streets intervention. British Journal of Sports Medicine. Published Online First: 13 December 2012, doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012- 091718.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wennberg, H., Hydén, C. and Ståhl, A. 2010. Barrier-free outdoor environments: older peoples’ perceptions before and after implementation of legislative directives. Transport Policy, 17, 6, 464–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wessels, R. D., de Witte, L. P., Jedeloo, S., van den Heuvel, W. P. M. and van den Heuvel, W. J. A. 2004. Effectiveness of provision of outdoor mobility services and devices in The Netherlands. Clinical Rehabilitation, 18, 4, 371–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weuve, J., Kang, J. H., Manson, J. E., Breteler, M. M. B., Ware, J. H. and Grodstein, F. 2004. Physical activity, including walking, and cognitive function in older women. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 292, 12, 1454–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (WHO) 2001. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: ICF. WHO, Geneva.Google Scholar