Objectively Measured Neighborhood Walkability and Change in Physical Activity in Older Japanese Adults: A Five-Year Cohort Study

Hiroyuki Kikuchi, Tomoki Nakaya, Tomoya Hanibuchi, Noritoshi Fukushima, Shiho Amagasa, Koichiro Oka, James F. Sallis and Shigeru Inoue
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Hiroyuki Kikuchi: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
Tomoki Nakaya: . Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-0845, Japan
Tomoya Hanibuchi: School of International Liberal Studies, Chukyo University, 101 Tokodachi, Kaizu-Cho, Toyota 470-0393, Japan
Noritoshi Fukushima: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
Shiho Amagasa: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
Koichiro Oka: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Japan
James F. Sallis: Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0631, USA
Shigeru Inoue: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Objectives: This study investigated the longitudinal association between changes in older adults’ physical activity and neighborhood walkability measured by geographic information systems (GISs, (ArcGIS, ESRI Inc., Redlands, CA, USA)). Methods: A mail survey was conducted for Japanese older adults who were randomly selected from three different settlement types. Data on walking, total moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sociodemographic characteristics were collected at baseline (in 2010) and follow-up (in 2015). Multiple linear regression analyses were employed to assess the association between MVPA change and neighborhood walkability, adjusted for potential confounders. Effect sizes for independent variables on MVPA change were estimated. Results: Data from 731 community-dwelling older adults (43.7% women) were analyzed. During the follow-up, older adults’ MVPA was reduced by 94.4 min/week (−14.2%) on average (675.5 and 579.9 min/week in 2010 and 2015, respectively). Overall, older adults living in highly walkable areas showed a smaller reduction than those in low walkable areas (beta: 99.7 min/week, 95% confidence interval: 28.5–171.0). Similar associations were observed among those in the urban and suburban area, but not in the rural area. Walkability had larger effect sizes for explaining MVPA change than demographic characteristics. In addition, the findings for walking were similar to MVPA. Conclusion: Neighborhood walkability mitigated the 5-year reduction of walking and total MVPA among older adults, especially in urban areas.

Keywords: exercise; built environment; neighborhood environment; prospective cohort study; geographic information system (GIS) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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