Older adults who perceive their neighborhood environment as safe have a significantly higher average level of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) compared to those who perceive their neighborhood environment as unsafe. This was the finding of a study conducted to investigate the association between the perception of neighborhood safety and LTPA in a nationally representative sample of older adults, and to evaluate the characteristics of socioeconomic status (SES) as possible modifiers of the effect on the relationship between perceived safety in the neighborhood and LTPA. Simple regression revealed that living in a safe neighborhood was associated with an average LTPA that was 35% higher than living in a neighborhood perceived as unsafe. After controlling for SES and demographic characteristics and functional limitations, older adults who perceived their neighborhood as safe had an 8% higher average LTPA rate compared to older adults who perceived their neighborhood as unsafe.
The lack of importance in the interaction between the perception of safety in the neighborhood and the SES suggests that prevention efforts to increase physical activity among older adults should consider the perception of neighborhood safety as a possible barrier, regardless of the SES. The inclusion of the quadratic term for age did not substantially change the estimation of the parameters for perceived safety in the neighborhood, suggesting that the nonlinear association between LTPA and age may not influence the relationship between perceived safety in the neighborhood and LTPA among older adults. It should be noted that some neighborhoods use apps to unite and stay safe during natural disasters or organize neighborhood vigilances. Exponential estimates of the parameters represent the risk ratio of the average outcome for those who live in a safe neighborhood compared to those who live in a neighborhood perceived as unsafe.
The study was designed to investigate the association between perceived safety in the neighborhood and LTPA in a nationally representative sample of older adults, and to evaluate the characteristics of SES as possible modifiers of the effect. It was hypothesized that the level of LTPA would be significantly higher in people who live in neighborhoods considered safe compared to those who live in neighborhoods perceived as unsafe, even after adjusting for demographic, SES and health characteristics. The results suggest that living in a safe neighborhood is associated with an increased level of leisure-time physical activity among older adults. Prevention efforts to increase physical activity among older adults should consider perception of neighborhood safety as a possible barrier, regardless of SES.
The findings indicate that older adults who perceive their environment as safe have a higher average level of leisure-time physical activity than those who perceive their environment as unsafe, even after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic status characteristics and functional limitations.
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