6533b7dafe1ef96bd126ec72
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Associations Between Reasons to Go Outdoors and Objectively-Measured Walking Activity in Various Life-Space Areas Among Older People.
Merja RantakokkoTaina RantanenJohanna EronenLi-tang TsaiMilla SaajanahoAnne ViljanenErja Portegijssubject
GerontologyMaleFuture studiesPhysical activityPhysical Therapy Sports Therapy and RehabilitationWalking03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineResidence CharacteristicsAccelerometryActivities of Daily LivingHumans030212 general & internal medicineFinlandAgedAged 80 and overRehabilitationWalking (activity)Cross-Sectional StudiesLife spaceFemaleGeriatrics and GerontologyPsychologyOlder peoplehuman activitiesGerontology030217 neurology & neurosurgerydescription
This cross-sectional study investigated associations between reasons to go outdoors and objectively-measured walking activity in various life-space areas among older people. During the study, 174 community-dwelling older people aged 75–90 from central Finland wore an accelerometer over seven days and recorded their reasons to go outdoors in an activity diary. The most common reasons for going outdoors were shopping, walking for exercise, social visits, and running errands. Activities done in multiple life-space areas contributed more to daily step counts than those done in the neighborhood or town and beyond. Those who went shopping or walked for exercise accumulated higher daily step counts than those who did not go outdoors for these reasons. These results show that shopping and walking for exercise are common reasons to go outdoors for community-dwelling older people and may facilitate walking activity in older age. Future studies on how individual trips contribute to the accumulation of steps are warranted.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-05-08 | Journal of aging and physical activity |