Multi-Family Housing Environment and Physical Activity: A Systematic Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVE

To identify environmental features of multi-family housing (MFH) and their surrounding neighborhoods that influence residents' physical activity (PA).

DATA SOURCE

Articles published between January 2000 and September 2023 were identified from major social science, medical, health, behavioral science, and urban studies databases.

STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA

Studies were included if they (a) were empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals and written in English; (b) focused on the MFH environment or the surrounding neighborhood; and (c) had at least one PA outcome.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data was extracted regarding the study objective, location, study sample, research design, results related to MFH and neighborhood environment, and limitations.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Descriptive summary of study characteristics and analysis to identify emerging themes at three spatial scales (i.e., building, site, and neighborhood).

RESULTS

Findings from 35 identified articles revealed factors influencing MFH residents' PA. On the building level, typology (apartment, townhouse) and tenure (public, market rent) showed contrasting correlations with PA in different age groups. On the site level, the presence of PA facilities and safe, walking-friendly environments promoted PA. On the neighborhood level, safety, quality of PA and pedestrian infrastructure, upkeep, air quality, aesthetics, neighborhood satisfaction, street connectivity, walkability, land use mix, density, and public transport promoted PA.

CONCLUSION

Study findings highlight the importance of the MFH environments in promoting PA, especially in older adults and young children. With increasing housing demand, understanding diverse MFH typologies and the impact of interventions on multi-spatial scales can help promote healthy and activity-friendly communities.

Living in an Age-Friendly Community: Evidence from a Masterplanned Development in Southwest Sydney

This paper is situated at the interface of a growing urban studies literature concerned with 'masterplanning' practices in urban planning and another, hitherto relatively discrete, body of research concerned with age-friendly cities and communities. The authors are interested in exploring a gap in aging in place literature around how neighbourhoods and residential settings developed with aging in place principles in mind are experienced and perceived by residents. To explore this research gap, the authors analyse qualitative (primarily interview and focus group) data collected in Park Central, a masterplanned development located in the Campbelltown suburb in the southwest region of the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia. This development was delivered in response to a need identified by the state's land and property development agency, Landcom, for more diverse and affordable medium-density housing in Campbelltown. In particular, a need was identified for housing developments that would be able to sustainably accommodate the changing lifestyle needs of a maturing population in the region. Drawing on our thematic analysis of our data, we discern three key themes in research participants' experiences of Park Central as a place for aging. These themes are elaborated via recourse to excerpts from our data and discussed with a view to informing how the conception, development and practice of further age-friendly communities is approached.

Examining Community-Based Housing Models to Support Aging in Place: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

With the global population aging, there is a demand for older adults to age in place, that is, to live and age well in their home and community with some level of independence. Community-based housing models exist and may support this process. This scoping review aimed to describe and synthesize the ways in which community-based housing models relate to older adults' aging in place and identify strengths and gaps in the literature.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The housing models explored were villages, naturally occurring retirement communities, congregate housing and cohousing, sheltered housing, and continuing care retirement communities. This exploratory scoping review examined international peer-reviewed literature published from 2004 to 2019. Six databases were searched using terms related to housing models and older adults. Forty-six articles met the inclusion criteria. Descriptive numerical summary and thematic analysis were used to synthesize study characteristics and findings.

RESULTS

Our analysis revealed 4 themes relating to aging in place in the housing models: Social Relations, Health and Well-being, Sense of Self and Autonomy, and Activity Participation. Further analysis identified housing-specific characteristics that appeared to pose barriers to, or enable, aging in place.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

To best support aging in place, the findings of the review suggest multiple characteristics worth considering when developing or relocating to a community-based housing model. Further research is required to understand how facilitating characteristics can promote aging in place for community-dwelling older adults.

Emerging safety risks from public facilities: a field study for ablution spaces in mosques

Purpose

Muslims require an exclusive ablution space for preparing for daily prayers in mosques. Ablution floors seem to entail design challenges since they are often encountered in lubricated conditions from worshippers’ body cleaning manoeuvers. Accordingly, fall risks on saturated surfaces of ablution floors would be a major issue to Muslim worshippers. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the safety status of mosque ablution floors in terms of slip resistance properties and surface texture.

Design/methodology/approach

Fifteen mosques in Dubai and Sharjah cities of the UAE were randomly chosen to investigate the safety conditions of ablution spaces. In-situ slip-resistance properties and surface finishes of each ablution floor were measured under clean, wet, and soapy conditions at two different volumes of traffic areas: heavy- and non-traffic. Surface finishes of ablution floors were also measured and analysed.

Findings

Outcomes from this study evidently showed that the inspected ablution floors were not currently protected against falls, especially under wet and soapy environments. Surface analyses identified that the present ablution floors have extremely flat surfaces (? 2 µm in the Ra parameter) so they require significant improvements against fall risks.

Originality/value

Regardless of the magnitude of this issue, it is scarce to attain any published study on ablution floors’ fall incidence and avoidance plans in the scientific and technical literature. There are also no officially and publicly available data on fall incidents from ablution places in mosques. Findings from this study would be a great step forward to establish safer ablution floors for Muslim prayers.

Developing and Testing A Model of the Assisted Living Environment

The assisted living (AL) environment plays an important role in supporting residents' satisfaction and helping them to age in place. The AL environment is multidimensional and has many interrelated components including staffing (e.g. direct care workers, nursing, activity staff), services provided (e.g. medical, mental health, pharmacy), amenities offered at the setting (e.g. beauty salon, library, exercise facilities), and the physical environment. Evidence suggests that aspects of the AL environment can enhance or detract from the physical function, well-being, social engagement, and behavioral outcomes among residents. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a multidimensional AL environment measurement model that includes indicators of staffing, services, amenities, and the physical environment. Baseline data was used from a study testing the Dissemination and Implementation of Function Focused Care in AL. A total of 54 AL facilities across three states were included in the sample. Settings ranged in size from 31 to 164 beds with an average size of 82.2 (SD=26.2) beds and the majority were for profit facilities (n=41, 74.5%). Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model. Results showed that the model fit the data (χ2/df=1.861, p<.05; CFI=.858, RMSEA=.126). Having a comprehensive AL environment measurement model will advance future research that explores the impact of the environment on resident outcomes. Findings from this study will inform interventions and programs designed to modify AL environments to optimize residents' satisfaction with AL.

Do Stairs Inhibit Seniors Who Live on Upper Floors From Going Out?

BACKGROUND

Walk-up buildings are common in China today since they were almost the only type of residential buildings constructed from the 1950s to the 1990s.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined how a vertical mobility obstacle, that is, mandatory stair climbing in walk-up residential buildings, may impact whether seniors go outdoors.

METHODS

We collected and examined 1,608 valid data records from 64 Chinese senior participants in Shanghai wearing Fitbit HR wristbands that tracked their mobility and physical activity for 31 consecutive days. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regressions were performed on the binary leaving-home-or-not probability by the level of vertical obstacles controlled for physical-demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, outdoor activity habits, and weather.

RESULTS

Our observations revealed that each floor above ground level reduced the likelihood of outdoor trips by approximately one third per floor. After controlling for the physical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors of the participants as well as weather and holidays, we found that significantly fewer going-out incidents were also associated with more frequent outdoor activities within the community, especially in paved areas, but no associations were observed with self-reported visit frequencies to green spaces, senior centers within the community, or other places outside the community.

CONCLUSION

This study offered the in situ observation that seniors' probability of leaving their homes is correlated with the degree of vertical circulation as a mobility barrier (i.e., the number of stairs between their living space and access to the outdoors), which may impact policy making for regulations concerning elevators in residential codes and renovations.

Recreational Centres' Facilities and Activities to Support Healthy Ageing in Singapore

Objective: This study examined the physical and social environment (facilities and activities) of Singapore’s Recreational Centres (RCs) and female patrons’ (>50 years) perception of the RC facilities and activities. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 RCs were audited, and 22 face-to-face interviews were undertaken. Results: Physical activity classes were the main activity offered (mean = eight classes per month), with walking (29.8%) and aerobics sessions (17.5%) being the most frequent. Nutrition classes and social activities were offered less often (mean = one class per month). The activities were well received by patrons, offering opportunities to interact while participating in physical activity and nutrition classes. However, the need for staff training, consideration of patron’s abilities and the desire to engage in alternative activities were expressed. Conclusion: Overall, RCs’ facilities and activities were well liked by the patrons but opportunities for improvements were identified. Regular reviews of facilities and activities through consultation with the RC patrons and managers are needed to ensure that the facilities and activities remain relevant and practical to the patrons. This will help to support active lifestyles and healthy eating practices among older adults residing within the community.

The Association of Built Environment and Physical Activity in Older Adults: Using a Citywide Public Housing Scheme to Reduce Residential Self-Selection Bias

Previous studies have documented numerous health benefits of conducting regular physical activity among older adults. The built environment is believed to be a key factor that can hinder or facilitate daily physical activity, such as walking and exercising. However, most empirical studies focusing on environment-physical activity associations exhibited residential self-selection bias with cross-sectional research design, engendering doubts about the impact of built environment on physical activity. To reduce this bias, we assessed physical activity behaviors of 720 Hong Kong older adults (≥65 years) residing in 24 public housing estates. The Hong Kong public housing scheme currently provides affordable rental flats for 2.1 million people or approximate 30% of total population. The applicants were allocated to one of 179 housing estates largely by family size and flat availability. Built environment characteristics were measured following the ‘5Ds’ principle: (street network) design, (land-use) diversity, density, distance to transit, and destination accessibility. Multilevel mixed models were used to explore the associations between the built environment and the different domains of physical activity (transportation walking, recreational walking, and recreational moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) while controlling for potential estate-level socioeconomic and individual confounders. We found that transportation walking was positively associated with the number of bus stops and the presence of Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations. Recreational MVPA was positively related to the number of recreational facilities. However, land-use mix was negatively related to transportation walking, recreational walking, and recreational MVPA. The findings of this study support a threshold effect in the environment-physical activity associations. Furthermore, large-scale public housing schemes involving random or semi-random residence assignment in many cities may provide opportunities to explore built environments and physical activity behavior, with the potential to overcome residential self-selection bias.

Providing a sustainable living environment in not-for-profit retirement villages

Purpose

As a viable housing option for older people, retirement villages need to provide a sustainable living environment that satisfies their residents’ needs in terms of affordability, lifestyle and environmental friendliness. This is, however, a significant challenge for not-for-profit developers because of the high upfront costs involved in using sustainable practices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the sustainable features and practices adopted in not-for-profit retirement villages.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the lack of quantitative historical data, a case study approach was adopted to identify the sustainable features and practices used in a not-for-profit retirement village in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Data were collected based on interviews, direct observation and documentation, and collected data were analysed by using content analysis.

Findings

The research findings indicate that similar to private developers, not-for-profit developers also have the capability to make their village environment sustainable. In this case, the sustainable practices cover various aspects including the selection of village location, site planning, provision of facilities and services, social life and living costs. Although the associated costs of adopting sustainable features is a concern for both developers and residents, some of the identified sustainable practices in this case do not result in significant cost increase but can improve the residents’ quality of life substantially.

Practical implications

The research findings provide a number of practical implications on how to deliver sustainable retirement villages in a not-for-profit village setting.

Originality/value

This paper provides a first look at sustainable features and practices adopted in both the development and operation stages of a not-for-profit retirement village.

Active Interest Mentorship for Soon-to-Retire People: A Self-Sustaining Retirement Preparation Program

Retirement is a major life transition that often leads to maladjustments and mental health hazards. In this study, we developed an innovative retirement preparation program, the Active Interest Mentorship Scheme (AIMS), which utilized active interest development as a positive entry point through which to engage soon-to-retire people. Each retiree received a 1-year mentorship 6 months before retirement. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the AIMS in protecting retirees' well-being. The well-being status of 161 retirees was assessed at 4-month intervals. Measures included self-esteem, life satisfaction, positive affect, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. Serial trend analysis revealed a general improvement in well-being at 4 months after mentorship, followed by a mark reversion in some variables at 2 months after retirement. Upon completion of the program, participants generally returned to a level of well-being that was comparable with or better than preretirement levels. The first 2 months after retirement appeared to be the most distressing. The findings support the efficacy, as well as feasibility of the innovative retirement preparation program.