Title
What determines walking of older people in their neighborhood?
Author
Hopman-Rock, M.
de Vries, S.I.
Bakker, I.
Ooijendijk, W.T.M.
Publication year
2012
Abstract
Based on literature review and five focus groups, a model was analyzed describing individual, social environmental and physical environmental (perceived) determinants of walking by older people. Aim was to test whether these determinants were significantly associated with the duration of walking by older people (N = 567, 50 - 80 years) in a middle-sized Dutch town. Walking time was best predicted by attitude towards walking (partial correlation in model (partial r) 0.18; p < 0.05), social contacts (partial r 0.12, p < 0.05), perceived quality of life (partial r 0.21 p < 0.01), satisfaction with the demographics of the neighborhood (partial r - 0.14, p < 0.01), and walking outside the neighborhood (partial r 0.28 p < 0.01). The model explained 20% of the total variance in walking time. Conclusion is that individual and social determinants predicted the most variance in walking time and that perceived environmental determinants played only a minor role. Health promotion actions may benefit from these insights.
Subject
BSS - Behavioural and Societal Sciences
Human
Healthy Living
Healthy for Life
Elderly
Physical fitness
Neighborhood
Walking
LS - Life Style
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:926c73de-fa37-4f61-a51d-665b1c7a7c40
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4236/ojpm.2012.23040
TNO identifier
465717
Source
Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2 (2), 279-286
Document type
article