Community physical activity environments and physical activity levels among older adults: a hierarchical analysis of...

Promoting physical activity among older adults is a major public health priority in aging societies. Although individual determinants of physical activity have been widely examined, increasing evidence suggests that community environmental conditions also shape behavioral participation. However, limited research has compared the relative associations of multiple community environmental dimensions with physical activity while accounting for demographic and lifestyle factors. This study examined the association between community physical activity environments and physical activity levels among older adults.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 564 community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and above residing in nine urban districts. Physical activity levels were assessed using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). Community physical activity environments were measured across four dimensions: natural environment, physical activity facilities, public services, and community physical activity culture. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between environmental indicators and physical activity levels after adjusting for demographic characteristics and lifestyle covariates.

The overall community physical activity environment showed a positive association with physical activity levels among older adults. The inclusion of environmental variables improved model explanatory power beyond demographic factors. Among the environmental dimensions, the natural environment and community physical activity culture showed comparatively stronger positive associations with physical activity levels. However, the high inter-correlations among environmental dimensions suggest that the coefficients for physical activity facilities and public services should be interpreted cautiously, as they may reflect shared variance or possible suppression effects.

Supportive community physical activity environments are associated with higher physical activity levels among older adults, particularly in relation to favorable natural environmental conditions and socially supportive activity cultures. These findings suggest that public health strategies for active aging should not focus solely on facility provision, but should also enhance neighborhood environmental quality and foster community participation cultures. Because the study used cross-sectional self-reported data, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.