The urban elderly in the United States: health status and the environment.
A large number of elderly persons live in United States metropolitan areas and center cities. Although the urban environment can be supportive of health, the urban elderly face issues of decrease in organ function and reserves; impaired chemical clearance and detoxification; vulnerability to medication-environment adverse interactions (heat/psychotropic drugs); legacy of past occupational and environmental cumulative exposures to persistent agents; overall poorer health status; decreased ability to respond to disasters, emergencies, and extreme conditions; decreased ability to access good and services outside their homes; and increased sensitivity to environmental conditions. Planning for these challenges can create a supportive environment and improve the health of the urban elderly.
Lopez
Russ
R
Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02119, USA. rptlopez@bu.edu
Goldoftas
Barbara
B
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014481:United States; D019037:Urban Health Services; D014505:Urban Population; D035862:Vulnerable Populations