Urban environment cues for health and well-being in the elderly

ABSTRACT

Urban populations are increasing at a rate that challenges existing public health infrastructures, while contemporary literature proliferates in the attempt to identify links between city neighbourhoods and health and well-being. Despite this, there have been few attempts to synthesise research into neighbourhood features perceived by elderly residents to affect their health and well-being. The primary objective of this review is to establish whether and, if so, how the perception of urban environment features acts as health and well-being determinants in an ageing population. Data extracted from 49 eligible articles into five key neighbourhood domains and thematic analysis show that poor health and reduced activity are associated with negatively perceived environments. In addition, urban social cohesion, crime and safety influences activity choices. Higher activity is associated with more compact and varied land-use mix with appealing aesthetics. Isolating individual perceived neighbourhood features as directly associated health determinants among the elderly is complex due to interrelations and overlap between domains. Identification of perceived environment health and well-being barriers or facilitators by the elderly are under-represented and warrants further investigation. Participatory objective and subjective research will contribute towards a more robust evidence base for public health professionals and policymakers by identifying knowledge gaps.

KEYWORDS:

• Health
• well-being
• elderly
• perception
• urban environment
• neighbourhood

This article is related to:

Research for city practice

Acknowledgments

This original scholarship review was undertaken with the support of a University of Portsmouth scholarship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maria Anna Gardener

Maria Anna Gardener as a mature student the author was awarded a BSc (Hons) Physiology in 2012, followed by a MA Research Science in February 2016 for empirical feasibility research on respiratory muscle training for snoring. More than 20 years’ work experience and expertise gained prior to entering tertiary education includes both clinical and complementary approaches to healthcare in a wide range of profit and non-profit applications. In 2016 the author was awarded a PhD scholarship from the University of Portsmouth to examine the nexus between the urban environment and health and well-being. The author is at present in year 3, writing up her PhD.

Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira

Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira is a Reader in Urbanism and Architecture at the University of Portsmouth, with a PhD in History and Theory of Architecture and Urbanism awarded by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona. In addition to over 10 years’ experience teaching in higher education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the author’s research expertise is in planning models aimed at balancing urbanisation with nature, particularly related to the green wedge idea, green and blue infrastructure, sustainable and resilient planning models and planning history and theory. The author is the author of Green Wedge Urbanism: History, Theory and Contemporary Practice (Bloomsbury, 2017).