Retirement Villages In Western Australia

Author : Andrea Grace Nathan
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (881 download)

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Download or read book Active Living in Retirement Village Residents written by Andrea Grace Nathan and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: [Truncated abstract] INTRODUCTION: Regular physical activity at any age, but particularly in later life, has a wealth of established health benefits. Yet older people remain the least physically active population group. An understanding of built and social environmental correlates can aid in developing effective interventions for increasing physical activity, but must be specific to the context in which older adults live. For some older Australians, retirement village living is a popular housing option. Typically, retirement villages contain independent living units and provide a range of supportive services. It appears that no studies to date have comprehensively examined built and social environments within the village and surrounding neighbourhood, and associations with active living in residents. The overarching aim of this research was to explore active living in the context of Western Australian retirement villages, and further investigate associations with built and social environmental factors. METHODS: The study employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, whereby qualitative research findings informed a subsequent quantitative phase. Six focus groups, involving six to ten residents each, were held in purposefully selected retirement villages. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify residents' interpretation of 'active living' and 'neighbourhood', and describe environmental factors relating to active living. Five data sources were utilised in the quantitative component, the main of which was the comprehensive resident questionnaire, developed based on the qualitative findings, and administered to residents from 32 retirement villages selected from higher and lower walkable neighbourhoods (n=323). Most participants agreed to also wear an accelerometer during waking hours for seven days, which provided an objective measurement of physical activity (n=288). Other data sources included a brief village manager questionnaire, and objective environmental measures using geographical information systems and national Census data. RESULTS: Qualitative research found that residents understood active living to include physical activity and aspects of social participation. Salient environmental attributes included: a positive social environment; the availability of services and facilities; and the presence of suitable pedestrian infrastructure. In the quantitative analysis, walking was the most popular physical activity mode, and objectively-measured activity was low. Independent of self-selection factors, built environmental perceptions were related to walking. Village aesthetics and fewer neighbourhood physical barriers were positively associated with leisure walking, while proximity to neighbourhood destinations was positively related to transport walking. Negative associations were found between various village perceptions (personal safety, street connectivity, and services and facilities) and brisk walking. Social environmental attributes were associated with self-reported physical activity. Significant factors included: more physical activity support from residents; weekly family contact; and more physical activity support from friends outside the village...