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Relationship of personal factors and perceived built environmental factors to walking behaviour of community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personal factors and perceived built environmental factors and walking behaviour among middle-aged and older adults. The sample consisted of 647 people aged 45 years and above. Walking behaviour was assessed using pedometers. Decreased walking was significantly associated with increased age (r=-0.366, p<0.001). Education level (F=4.13, p=0.016) and self-rated health status (t=6.07, p<0.001) were positively associated with walking. When considering the effect of age, education level was no longer associated with walking. Better perception of general safety (F=3.105, p=0.005) and fewer safety concerns (F=7.531, p=0.001) were positively associated with walking. Age and self-rated health status jointly contributed to the walking behaviour (p<0.001), explaining 16.2% of the variance. These findings may suggest future neighbourhood interventions for age-friendly communities in Winnipeg, and help to accommodate changes through addressing perceived neighbourhood safety concerns and facilitating increased physical activity among middle-aged and older adults.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:MWU.1993/18324
Date03 April 2013
CreatorsChen, Yijie (Jennifer)
ContributorsReady, Elizabeth (Kinesiology and Recreation Management), Menec, Verena (Community Health Science) Porter, Michelle (Kinesiology and Recreation Management) Milgrom, Richard (City Planning)
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
Detected LanguageEnglish

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