Physical activity among elderly people in a city population: the influence of neighbourhood level violence and self perceived safety.
OBJECTIVE
To study the associations between neighbourhood level violence/fear of violence and physical activity among elderly people, accounting for somatic health.


METHODS
Self reported data from the Oslo health study, a cross sectional study conducted in 2000, were linked with sociodemographic and social security data from Statistics Norway. A multilevel regression analysis was conducted by MlwiN using contextual level variables provided by the Oslo City Council.


METHODS
Oslo, Norway.


METHODS
3499 inhabitants aged 74/5 (53.2% of all invitees).


RESULTS
20.5% of the elderly were physically active less than one hour a week. Somatic health was clearly associated with physical activity among both men and women. Neighbourhood level violence was associated with physical activity only for men, while fear of violence was only associated with physical activity for women. Differences in somatic health did not explain differences in physical activity between neighbourhoods. These differences were explained by socioeconomic variables, and neighbourhood level violence/fear of violence.


CONCLUSIONS
In a sample of presumably healthy 75/76 year olds in Oslo, the associations between neighbourhood level violence and physical activity (among men), and fear of violence and physical activity (among women), are of the same sizes as those between somatic health and physical activity. These two dimensions of violence have, in contrast with somatic health, an explanatory function in exploring differences in physical activity between neighbourhoods in Oslo.
Piro
Fredrik N
FN
Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, PO Box 1130 Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway. f.n.piro@medisin.uio.no
Noss
Oyvind
O
Claussen
Bjørgulf
B
D000368:Aged; D002947:Cities; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012449:Safety; D012924:Social Conditions; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*