Relationship between the physical environment and physical activity in older adults: a systematic review.
Previous reviews on children, adolescents and adults have reported consistent relationships between several physical environmental characteristics and physical activity (PA). This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature concerning the relationship between the physical environment and PA in older adults. A systematic literature search resulted in the inclusion of 31 articles. Results were inconsistent but most of the studied environmental characteristics were reported not to be related to PA. More studies in different contexts utilizing longitudinal designs, standardized, reliable and validated PA and environmental measurements and investigating possible moderating effects are definitely warranted.
Department of Human Biometry and Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Education and Physical Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium. Jelle.Van.Cauwenberg@vub.ac.be
Jelle
J
Van Cauwenberg
Ilse
I
De Bourdeaudhuij
Femke
F
De Meester
Delfien
D
Van Dyck
Jo
J
Salmon
Peter
P
Clarys
Benedicte
B
Deforche
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001642:Bicycling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004777:Environment; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D012107:Research Design; D012449:Safety; D014507:Urbanization; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data