Unveiling Seniors' Perception of Mobility: Urbanization, Region, and Physical Activity

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Urban Planning
• Environmental Psychology

Background:

• Maintaining mobility is crucial for active aging and independence in older adults.
• Perception of mobility significantly influences well-being and quality of life.
• The aging population makes mobility a pressing issue in public health and urban design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in neighborhood perception between urban and rural seniors.
• To analyze perceptions of urban tissue, scenes, and safety in relation to demographic and environmental factors.
• To identify environmental determinants influencing seniors' perception of their surroundings.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative study using questionnaire surveys (face-to-face and online).
• Sample of 525 participants.
• Ordinal regression used to test hypotheses on environmental perception influenced by gender, age, social status, physical activity, urbanization, and region.

Main Results:

• Perception of surroundings depends on the level of urbanization, confirming the hypothesis.
• Age was not a significant factor in the perception of residence surroundings.
• Gender, social status, physical activity, and region showed partial influence on environmental perception.

Conclusions:

• Rural areas present substantially worse pedestrian conditions (crossings, benches, lighting) compared to cities.
• Understanding mobility barriers and facilitators is vital for planning age-friendly neighborhoods.
• Adapting environments is key to promoting active and healthy aging in place, especially in rural settings.