Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jul;48(13):1059-65.
doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2012-091718. Epub 2012 Dec 14.

Do changes to the local street environment alter behaviour and quality of life of older adults? The 'DIY Streets' intervention

Catharine Ward Thompson  1 , Angela Curl  1 , Peter Aspinall  2 , Susana Alves  3 , Affonso Zuin  4
Affiliations

Do changes to the local street environment alter behaviour and quality of life of older adults? The 'DIY Streets' intervention

Catharine Ward Thompson et al. Br J Sports Med. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

Background: The burden of ill-health due to inactivity has recently been highlighted. Better studies on environments that support physical activity are called for, including longitudinal studies of environmental interventions. A programme of residential street improvements in the UK (Sustrans 'DIY Streets') allowed a rare opportunity for a prospective, longitudinal study of the effect of such changes on older adults' activities, health and quality of life.

Methods: Pre-post, cross-sectional surveys were carried out in locations across England, Wales and Scotland; participants were aged 65+ living in intervention or comparison streets. A questionnaire covered health and quality of life, frequency of outdoor trips, time outdoors in different activities and a 38-item scale on neighbourhood open space. A cohort study explored changes in self-report activity and well-being postintervention. Activity levels were also measured by accelerometer and accompanying diary records.

Results: The cross-sectional surveys showed outdoor activity predicted by having a clean, nuisance-free local park, attractive, barrier-free routes to it and other natural environments nearby. Being able to park one's car outside the house also predicted time outdoors. The environmental changes had an impact on perceptions of street walkability and safety at night, but not on overall activity levels, health or quality of life. Participants' moderate-to-vigorous activity levels rarely met UK health recommendations.

Conclusions: Our study contributes to methodology in a longitudinal, pre-post design and points to factors in the built environment that support active ageing. We include an example of knowledge exchange guidance on age-friendly built environments for policy-makers and planners.

Keywords: Intervention Effectiveness; Outdoor Medicine; Walking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant numbers in each survey, by intervention or comparison group preintervention and postintervention.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average daily activity levels of participants in 2008 (n=50).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hallal PC, Bauman AE, Heath GW, et al. Physical activity: more of the same is not enough. Lancet 2012;380:190–1 - PubMed
    1. Department of Health, Physical Activity, Health Improvement and Protection. Start active, stay active: a report on physical activity from the four home countries’ Chief Medical Officers. London: Department of Health, 2011
    1. British Heart Foundation National Centre (BHFNC) for Physical Activity and Health. Fact sheet: current levels of physical activity in older adults.. BHFNC, Loughborough University, 2012, http://www.bhfactive.org.uk (accessed 24 Oct 2012)
    1. British Heart Foundation National Centre (BHFNC) for Physical Activity and Health. Evidence briefing: physical activity for older adults (65+years). BHFNC, Loughborough University, 2012, http://www.bhfactive.org.uk (accessed 24 Oct 2012).
    1. Gow AJ, Bastin ME, Muñoz Maniega S, et al. Neuroprotective lifestyles and the aging brain: activity, atrophy, and white matter integrity. Neurology 2012;79:1802. - PubMed

Publication types