ABSTRACT

Physical activity is one of the most important interventions to improve the health and well-being of populations. Gaining sufficient physical activity can often be difficult for older people, who are less likely to be involved in formal exercise. Older people are also more likely to suffer from social isolation. Active transport is an ideal opportunity to increase both the physical and social well-being of older populations. This literature review investigates the impact of public transport on the health and well-being of older adults and discusses policy implications. A literature search was conducted in CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and ProQuest Social Science databases to identify relevant articles. Fifty-eight articles were identified. Despite the prevalence of public transport including free and subsidised services worldwide, there is only a small body of research on the impact on older people. While limited, the literature on free and subsidised public transport and older people highlights that access has clear benefits for health and well-being. Public transport both promote active transport by encouraging older people to incorporate incidental activity into daily routines. We review literature showing that active transport positively affects older people’s physical health, as well as their mental health by enabling them to maintain social networks, thus reducing social isolation.

摘要

身体活动是改善人群健康和福祉的最重要干预措施之一。对于不太可能参与正式锻炼的老年人来说，获得足够的体育锻炼通常很困难。老年人也更有可能遭受社会孤立。主动交通是提高老年人身体和社会福祉的理想机会。这篇文献综述调查了公共交通对老年人健康和福祉的影响，并讨论了政策含义。在 CINAHL、Medline、Scopus、Web of Science 和 ProQuest Social Science 数据库中进行了文献检索，以确定相关文章。确定了 58 篇文章。尽管公共交通（包括免费和补贴服务）在世界范围内盛行，关于对老年人的影响的研究很少。虽然有限，但关于免费和补贴公共交通以及老年人的文献强调，交通对健康和福祉有明显的好处。公共交通都通过鼓励老年人将偶然活动纳入日常生活来促进主动交通。我们回顾了文献，这些文献表明，主动交通通过使老年人能够维持社交网络，从而减少社交孤立，对老年人的身体健康和心理健康产生积极影响。公共交通都通过鼓励老年人将偶然活动纳入日常生活来促进主动交通。我们回顾了文献，这些文献表明，主动交通通过使老年人能够维持社交网络，从而减少社交孤立，对老年人的身体健康和心理健康产生积极影响。公共交通都通过鼓励老年人将偶然活动纳入日常生活来促进主动交通。我们回顾了文献，这些文献表明，主动交通通过使老年人能够维持社交网络，从而减少社交孤立，对老年人的身体健康和心理健康产生积极影响。