The associations between area deprivation and objectively measured older adults’ outdoor walking levels

Abstract

Outdoor walking has positive impacts on older adults’ health. It is crucial to identify less active older adults and to encourage them to take outdoor walks. Previous studies have shown that physical activity levels vary according to socioeconomic deprivation. However, knowledge on objectively measured older adults’ outdoor walking levels is limited. This study investigated associations between area (socioeconomic) deprivation and older adults’ objectively (geographic positioning system [GPS]) measured outdoor walking levels (i.e., walking durations and frequencies) in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It used a multilevel approach. The final sample included 173 participants (65 years and above). A questionnaire was used to collect data on personal characteristics (e.g., educational attainment as a proxy of individual deprivation, age, and marital status). The results show that independent of personal characteristics, area deprivation associates with outdoor walking durations. Participants from high-deprivation areas spend less time for outdoor walking than those from low-deprivation areas. Associations between area deprivation and outdoor walking frequencies were nonsignificant. Future research needs to investigate how attributes (e.g., environmental attributes) of low- and high-deprivation areas drive disparities in outdoor walking durations among older residents of low- and high-deprivation areas.