title: Age-friendly environments and self-rated health: an exploration of Detroit elders.
abstract: While a number of organizations and government entities have encouraged the development of more "age-friendly" environments, to date there has been limited research linking these environment features to elder outcomes. Using a representative sample of older adults living in Detroit, this study examined the association between age-friendly environment factors and self-rated health. Results indicated that access to health care, social support, and community engagement were each associated with better self-rated health, while neighborhood problems were associated with poorer self-rated health. Moreover, individual-level income and education no longer predicted self-rated health once age-friendly environment factors were taken into account. These findings highlight the need for more research documenting the effects of age-friendly environments, particularly across diverse contexts and populations.
authors: University of Michigan, School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI, USA alehning@umich.edu.
authors: Amanda J
authors: AJ
authors: Lehning
authors: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors: Richard J
authors: RJ
authors: Smith
authors: University of Michigan, School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors: Ruth E
authors: RE
authors: Dunkle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D016852:Housing for the Elderly; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: aging; physical environment; self-rated health; social environment