MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8TB, UK.
MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8TB, UK.
Soc Sci Med. 2024 Oct;358:117083. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117083. Epub 2024 Jun 29.
Among older people, walking is a popular and prevalent activity. Walking is key to increasing physical activity levels and resulting physical and mental health. In the context of rapidly ageing populations, it is important to better understand what factors are associated with walking among older people, based on the socioecological model of health.
We used data from Understanding Society (n:6450), a national panel survey of UK adults aged 65 years and over living in Great Britain. Slope Indices of Inequality (SII) were calculated for weekly walking hours for older people according to individual, social and area characteristics. These include health, loneliness and social isolation, previous walking and sporting activity, residential self-selection, contact with neighbours, number of close friends and social activity. Spatial area-level data described local area crime, walkability, and proximity to retail, greenspace, and public transport amenities.
Multivariable models indicated that poor health, particularly requiring help with walking, was the strongest predictor of weekly walking hours (SII (95% CI) comparing those needing help vs. no help: -3.58 (-4.30, -2.87)). However, both prior sporting activity (most vs. least active: 2.30 (1.75, 2.88)) and walking for pleasure (yes vs. no: 1.92 (1.32, 2.53)) were strongly associated with increased walking several years later. Similarly having close friends (most vs. fewest, 1.18 (0.72, 1.77)) and local retail destinations (any vs. none: 0.93 (0.00, 1.86)) were associated with more weekly walking.
Past engagement in physical activity and walking for pleasure are strong predictors of walking behaviour in older people, underscoring the importance of implementing and sustaining walking interventions across the lifespan to ensure continued engagement in later years and the associated health benefits. However, poor health significantly impedes walking in this demographic, emphasising the need for interventions that offer both physical assistance and social support to promote this activity.
在老年人中，散步是一种流行且普遍的活动。散步是提高身体活动水平以及促进身心健康的关键。在人口快速老龄化的背景下，根据健康的社会生态学模型，更好地了解哪些因素与老年人的散步行为有关，这一点非常重要。
我们使用了来自英国全国性的成年人（年龄在 65 岁及以上）面板调查——“理解社会”（n：6450）的数据。根据个人、社会和地区特征，为老年人每周的散步时间计算了不平等斜率指数（SII）。这些特征包括健康状况、孤独和社会隔离、以前的散步和运动活动、居住的自我选择、与邻居的接触、亲密朋友的数量和社交活动。空间区域水平数据描述了当地的犯罪情况、可步行性、以及与零售、绿地和公共交通设施的接近程度。
多变量模型表明，较差的健康状况，特别是需要帮助行走，是每周散步时间的最强预测因素（比较需要帮助和不需要帮助的人群：-3.58（-4.30，-2.87））。然而，之前的运动活动（最活跃与最不活跃：2.30（1.75，2.88））和为了乐趣而散步（是与否：1.92（1.32，2.53））多年后与增加的散步量密切相关。同样，有亲密朋友（最多与最少：1.18（0.72，1.77））和当地的零售目的地（有与没有：0.93（0.00，1.86））与每周更多的散步时间相关。
过去参与身体活动和为了乐趣而散步是老年人散步行为的有力预测因素，这突显了在整个生命周期中实施和维持散步干预措施的重要性，以确保在以后的年份中继续参与，并带来相关的健康益处。然而，较差的健康状况极大地阻碍了这一年龄段人群的散步行为，这强调了需要提供身体援助和社会支持的干预措施，以促进这种活动。
