RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROXIMITY TO URBAN AMENITIES AND STEP COUNTS

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  • 都市施設への近接性と歩数の関係
  • カテゴリーⅠ 都市施設への近接性と歩数の関係 : 定年退職前後の世代による違いに着目して
  • カテゴリー Ⅰ トシ シセツ エ ノ キンセツセイ ト ホスウ ノ カンケイ : テイネン タイショク ゼンゴ ノ セダイ ニ ヨル チガイ ニ チャクモク シテ
  • Relationship between proximity to urban amenities and step counts - focusing on the differences between middle-aged and young elderly individuals
  • 定年退職前後の世代による違いに着目して
  • Focusing on the difference between middle-aged and young elderly individuals

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Life expectancy in Japan has been increasing in recent years. However, to enhance the quality of life of elderly people and to slow the increase in social security costs, especially in a rapidly aging society, it is highly important to extend people's “healthy life expectancy,” an estimation of the years of life during which people can expect to live in full health without a major disease and/or injury. Although everyday physical activity is necessary to extend the healthy life expectancy, fostering exercise habits can be difficult. Therefore, a walkable environment where people can walk freely should be included as a part of a population approach.<br> However, elderly people may not necessarily walk much in neighborhoods where younger generations walk much because of the change in life style between before and after retirement. The present study analyzed the step counts of middle-aged and young elderly individuals and examined the relationship between the step counts and the proximity to urban amenities (train stations, commercial areas, community centers, parks and rivers) as indices of the neighborhood environment using objectively measured step count data from a large sample in Yokohama, Japan in June 2016.<br> A total of 2,027 middle-aged men in 80 neighborhoods, 4,600 young elderly men in 133 neighborhoods, 4,744 middle-aged women in 150 neighborhoods, and 6,874 young elderly women in 160 neighborhoods were analyzed. First, by creating tables and a thematic map, we confirmed the gap in step counts between generations by neighborhood. Secondly, correlations between the step counts and neighborhood environment indices were calculated for four groups according to sex and generation. A two-way analysis of variance was subsequently conducted to compare the step counts of young elderly individuals with those of middle-age individuals and neighborhood environment indices.<br> We confirmed the gap in step counts between generations by neighborhood and found that the nearer to train stations and commercial areas they lived, the more those in each of the groups walked, with the exception of middle-aged men. No significant correlation was found between step counts in any group and the distance to community centers, parks and rivers. We also found interaction effects for step counts of middle-aged men and the distance to commercial areas and community centers on the step counts of young elderly men. In the neighborhoods where middle-aged men walked a lot, young elderly men did not walk much unless urban amenities were located nearby, although the distance to such amenities did not affect the step count of young elderly men in the neighborhoods where middle-aged men walked less. No significant interaction effect was found in women.<br> In conclusion, more commercial facilities and community centers within walking distance are desirable for young elderly men to boost their step counts in suburban areas. Furthermore, promoting use of these urban amenities, where local residents can socialize, may also encourage young elderly members of the community to walk more.

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