Weiss Rachael L, Maantay Juliana A, Fahs Marianne
Public Health DPH Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
Cities Environ. 2010 Jan 1;3(1):12.
Understanding the role of the built environment on physical activity behavior among older adults is an important public health goal, but evaluating these relationships remains complicated due to the difficulty of measuring specific attributes of the environment. As a result, there is conflicting evidence regarding the association between perceived and objectively measured walkability and physical activity among urban-dwelling older adults. This suggests that both actual environmental features and perceptions of these attributes influence walking behavior. The purpose of this pilot project is to create an Objective Walkability Index (OWI) by census block using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and supplement the results with resident perceptions thus more accurately characterizing the context of walkability. Computerized Neighborhood Environment Tracking (ComNET) was used to systematically assess environmental risks impacting activity patterns of older adults in two New York City neighborhoods. In addition, the Senior Center Evaluation of the Neighborhood Environment (SCENE) survey was administered to older adults attending two senior centers located within the target neighborhoods. The results indicate that there is substantial variation in OWI score both between and within the neighborhoods suggesting that residence in some communities may increase the risk of inactivity among older adults. Also, low walkability census blocks were clustered within each neighborhood providing an opportunity for targeted investigation into localized threats to walkability. A lack of consensus regarding the association between the built environment and physical activity among older adults is a consequence of the problems inherent in measuring these determinants. Further empirical evidence evaluating the complex relationships between the built environment and physical activity is an essential step towards creating active communities.
了解建成环境对老年人身体活动行为的作用是一项重要的公共卫生目标，但由于难以衡量环境的具体属性，评估这些关系仍然很复杂。因此，关于城市老年居民中感知到的和客观测量的步行适宜性与身体活动之间的关联，存在相互矛盾的证据。这表明实际环境特征和对这些属性的认知都会影响步行行为。这个试点项目的目的是使用地理信息系统（GIS）按普查街区创建一个客观步行适宜性指数（OWI），并用居民的认知来补充结果，从而更准确地描述步行适宜性的背景。计算机化邻里环境跟踪（ComNET）被用于系统评估影响纽约市两个街区老年人活动模式的环境风险。此外，还对位于目标街区内的两个老年中心的老年人进行了邻里环境老年中心评估（SCENE）调查。结果表明，街区之间和街区内部的OWI得分存在很大差异，这表明居住在某些社区可能会增加老年人不活动的风险。此外，每个街区内步行适宜性低的普查街区都集中在一起，这为有针对性地调查步行适宜性的局部威胁提供了机会。老年人中建成环境与身体活动之间的关联缺乏共识，是衡量这些决定因素时存在固有问题的结果。评估建成环境与身体活动之间复杂关系的进一步实证证据，是创建活跃社区的关键一步。
