Abstract
Age-friendly community design is a crucial agenda globally. This study used a qualitative geographic information system (QGIS) approach and an interpretive descriptive orientation to analyze the spatially oriented exercise experiences of community-dwelling older adults living in a low-income neighborhood in Hong Kong. Fifteen community-dwelling older adults aged 62–88 years were involved in the study. Participants were found to make use of different places (i.e., footbridges and children’s playgrounds) proximal to their home locations and create space for their habitual physical exercise routines. These interpretative results add a new dimension of understanding to the planning and design of age-friendly communities.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all the older adults who have participated in this study, registered social worker, Ms. Crystal Yam, who coordinated the study and the collaborative institute, Pok Oi Hospital Mr. Kwok Hing Kwan Neighborhood Elderly Centre (NEC) which provided space for interviews in this study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials.
Author contributions
JLC conceptualized the study design, conducted all the interviews, analyzed the qualitative data, and prepared the manuscript. YQ conducted all the spatial analyses using GIS; gave important advice during the study design conceptualization process. TLT triangulated the data. RTH supervised the processes of the study, involved in data triangulation, and made important contributions to the manuscript.