Perspectives on Active Transportation in a Mid-Sized Age-Friendly City: “You Stay Home”

Irmina Klicnik and Shilpa Dogra
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Irmina Klicnik: Faculty of Health Sciences (Community Health), University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON L1G-0C5, Canada
Shilpa Dogra: Faculty of Health Sciences (Kinesiology), University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON L1G-0C5, Canada

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Active transportation is an affordable and accessible form of transportation that facilitates the mobility of older adults in their communities. Age-friendly cities encourage and support physical activity and social participation among older adults; however, they often do not adequately address active transportation. Our goal was to identify and understand the constraints to active transportation that older adults experience in order to inform the development of viable solutions. Methods: Focus group interviews were conducted with community dwelling older adults (n = 52) living in the City of Oshawa in Ontario, Canada; each focus group targeted a specific demographic to ensure a diverse range of perspectives were represented. Data were analyzed to identify themes; sub-group analyses were conducted to understand the experience of those from low socioeconomic status and culturally diverse groups. Results: Themes pertaining to environmental, individual, and task constraints, as well as their interactions, were identified. Of particular novelty, seemingly non-modifiable constraints (e.g., weather and personal health) interacted with modifiable constraints (e.g., urban design). Culturally diverse and lower socioeconomic groups had more favorable perspectives of their neighborhoods. Conclusion: While constraints to active transportation interact to exacerbate one another, there is an opportunity to minimize or remove constraints by implementing age-friendly policies and practices.

Keywords: physical activity; aging; social isolation; cycling; walking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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