The association between perceived environmental barriers and walking activity among older adults

2011

With increasing age, people become less physically active, partly due to increased vulnerability to environmental demands. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between perceived barriers in the outdoor environment and walking activity among older adults. These analyses form part of the Screening and Counseling for Physical Activity and Mobility project (SCAMOB). The study design was cross-sectional. The participants were 75-81-year-old, able to walk independently outdoors, not highly physically active and were living in the center of Jyväskylä (N=632, 159 men, 473 women). Walking activity and environmental barriers were assessed with self-reports. An indicator of environ…