Redai dili (Jan 2024)
The Duration-Frequency Pattern and Influencing Factors of Daily Leisure Walking among Older Adults in Nanjing, China
Abstract
Studies on leisure walking among older adults have received extensive attention from various areas such as public health, medicine/prevention, sports, geography, architecture, urban/transportation planning, and leisure, as they focus on various themes, including the health benefits of walking, walking behavior surveys, walking behavior, and influencing factors. In such an information-dense study, the duration and frequency of walking are proven to be critical indicators used to evaluate physical activity and are widely applied to provide an essential basis for health interventions for older adults. Leisure walking is the most common activity among older adults in China and is generally performed daily. However, studies on leisure walking among older adults in China remain lacking, leading to the urgent need for additional empirical studies. This study attempted to build a framework for the factors influencing the duration-frequency pattern of daily leisure walking among older adults using the ecological model theory, which could be used as instructions for the case studies. This study was performed using 1,285 samples of leisure walking behavior of older adults in Nanjing. Multivariate logistic regression and other methods were used to explore the duration and frequency pattern of daily leisure walking and its influencing factors among older adults in Nanjing. The results showed that: 1) even though most older adults in Nanjing have not reached the physical activity level recommended by the World Health Organization. In general, the duration and frequency of daily leisure walking among older adults in Nanjing is characterized by "medium duration and high frequency", with the medium and high duration accounting for 75.02% and the medium and high frequency accounting for 89.96%, and the duration and frequency pattern of leisure walking differed among groups. 2) Certain factors commonly influence the duration and frequency pattern of daily leisure walking among older adults in Nanjing, including individual social factors, such as gender, family structure, and residence time in Nanjing, and psychological factors, such as walking preference, walking motivation, perception of personal constraints, and walking behavior intention. 3) The study reports differential factors, including health conditions, negotiation efficacy, and perceived constraints of the built environment, that could affect the duration pattern of daily leisure walking for older adults. The study reports that age and monthly personal income were the main factors influencing the variable frequency pattern of daily leisure walking among older adults. Based on the above study, theoretical and practical implications for facilitating leisure walking participation among older adults in China are discussed.
Keywords
