title: Is "Walkability" A Useful Concept for Gerontology?
abstract: The study tested two hypotheses. 1) In a walkable neighborhood, residents will exercise more, eat healthier, and suffer from less obesity. 2) That relation will be stronger for the elderly. Health was measured by physical activity, number of portions of fruits and vegetables eaten, and BMI. "Walkability" was measured by a set of environmental items that formed three distinct factors. The three health outcomes were related to the three environmental factors. Age was not a significant predictor. While environment does play a significant role in health outcomes the ways that role is expressed and its relation to age is complex.
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glicksman
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ring
authors.forename: Morton H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kleban
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoffman
keywords: GIS; environment; walkability