Association Between Physical Function and Neighborhood Environment in Healthy, Older Adults: An Exploratory Study...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Environmental Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Physical function is crucial for older adults' independence.
• The neighborhood environment can influence physical activity and function.
• Individual characteristics may modify the physical function-neighborhood environment relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how individual characteristics of older adults affect the relationship between physical function and their neighborhood environment.
• To identify specific factors influencing physical function in relation to the built environment.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 624 community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years).
• Assessed physical function (muscle strength, physical performance) and neighborhood environment (IPAQ-Environmental Module).
• Analyzed associations using multiple regression and Classification and Regression Tree (CaRT) analysis.

Main Results:

• Neighborhood environment significantly associated with physical function in both sexes (multiple regression).
• CaRT analysis revealed specific factors (age ≤80, no low back pain/depressive symptoms, good perceived recreational access) linked to better 5-m walking time in men.
• No significant relationship between physical function and neighborhood environment found in older women via CaRT analysis.

Conclusions:

• The association between neighborhood environment and physical function is complex and sex-specific in older adults.
• Age, sex, and health conditions (physical and mental) significantly alter this relationship.
• Targeted interventions considering individual characteristics may be needed to optimize neighborhood impacts on older adults' physical function.