Crossing the Gap: Older Adults Do Not Create Less Challenging Stepping Stone Configurations Than Young Adults

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Kinesiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Low rates of regular physical activity among older adults necessitate innovative interventions.
• Public open spaces can be adapted to safely improve balance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness in seniors.
• Participatory design empowers older adults to co-create exercise environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if older adults design stepping stone configurations differently than younger adults.
• To assess the challenge level and usage patterns of personalized stepping stone designs.
• To explore the potential of personalized design in promoting physical activity in older populations.

Main Methods:

• A participatory design study involving older and younger adults creating stepping stone configurations.
• Analysis of created gap widths and their relation to estimated stepping capabilities.
• Observation of stepping stone usage, including gap crossings over time.

Main Results:

• Older adults created smaller absolute gap distances but similar relative challenge levels compared to younger adults.
• Both age groups designed non-standardized configurations with no significant difference in gap width variety.
• Older adults performed more gap crossings using their personalized designs, suggesting increased engagement.

Conclusions:

• Older adults are not more conservative than younger adults in designing stepping stone configurations.
• Personalized design may be a promising strategy to increase physical activity engagement in older adults.
• Further field testing is required to validate the effectiveness of these designs in real-world settings.