Associations among Park Use, Age, Social Participation, and Neighborhood Age Composition in Montreal

Abstract

Parks provide benefits for the physical, psychological, and social well-being of residents in neighborhood environments. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine associations between neighborhood- and individual-level characteristics and the lack of park use in Montreal. Data on park use were collected from 787 adults residing in 299 different neighborhoods. Results found that older adults who lived in areas with a younger age composition were more likely not to use their nearby parks as compared to older adults living in areas with an older age composition. Forms of social participation were also important for the park use of older adults. Public policies should consider targeting aspects of the social environment to improve neighborhood park use.

Keywords:

• aging
• built environment
• community participation
• ecology
• urban parks

Data collection and analysis were supported by a team grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada SSHRC (Grant no. 168708, S.M.).