Abstract
Participating in various activities can be a strategy for successful aging and aging in place. Neighborhood characteristics such as diversity of facilities, neighborhood retention rate, and residential mobility are all assumed to be positively related to participation in various activities. This study aims to discern the relationships between the aspects of the neighborhood environment and the number of activities in which an older person engaged or participation in multiple types of activities. Data from a questionnaire completed by residents of the Itabashi Ward, linked with census survey and facility data from a geographic information system, were used. Participants included adults aged 65–84 years. We conducted hierarchical clustering to define the types of activities based on the actual community participation of older adults. The similarity of community activities was estimated using Yule’s Y and phi coefficient. Analysis involved generalized linear mixed models to address the multilevel data. A high neighborhood retention rate was found to be positively related to both the number of activities respondents engaged in and participation in multiple types of activities. A high level of diversity of facilities was positively related only to the number of activities in which respondents participated. The data showed differences in the association between various neighborhood characteristics and the likelihood of participation in many activities and multiple types of activities. This finding suggests that policy makers in dense residential areas should consider prioritizing policies that improve neighborhood environments, as a means of promoting participation in various activities.
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We thank Itabashi Ward and the respondents for their cooperation.
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This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant No. 18H01602).
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Kim, H., Hino, K. & Fujiwara, Y. The relationship between the participation of Japanese older adults in various activities and neighborhood environment. J Hous and the Built Environ 36, 325–340 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-020-09760-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-020-09760-6