Loading...
Associations of neighborhood built and social environments with frailty among mid-to-older aged Australian adults
Abe, Takumi Carver, Alison Sugiyama, Takemi
Abe, Takumi
Carver, Alison
Sugiyama, Takemi
Abstract
Aim
Neighborhood environmental attributes are associated with physical activity and health status. We examined cross-sectional associations of built and social environmental attributes with frailty among community-dwelling mid-to-older aged adults in Australia.
Methods
Data from 3419 adults aged 50–74 years living in 200 neighborhoods in Brisbane, Australia, were used. Frailty status was assessed by a frailty index comprising 32 items. The built environment attributes examined were residential density, street connectivity, land use mix, park area and bus stop density. Self-reported levels of safety and social cohesion were used as social environmental factors. Associations were examined using multilevel logistic regression.
Results
The prevalence of frailty was 12%. One standard deviation increment in street connectivity in a 1-km network buffer around participants' homes and in a neighbourhood was associated with 23% and 13% higher odds of being frail, respectively. One standard deviation increment in land use mix at the neighborhood level was associated with 12% lower odds of being frail. Higher levels of safety and social cohesion were consistently associated with a lower odds of being frail.
Conclusions
Consistent with previous studies, we found that social environmental attributes were relevant to residents' frailty status, whereas the relationships between built environmental attributes and frailty were not clear (frailty was associated with lower street connectivity but with higher land used mix). Community-level initiatives to enhance safety and social cohesion might be effective to reduce frailty. Further research is required to explain the equivocal findings obtained for built environmental attributes and frailty.
Keywords
community, frail, safety, social cohesion, walkability
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Geriatrics and Gerontology International
Book
Volume
21
Issue
10
Page Range
893-899
Article Number
ACU Department
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled