Socioeconomic Status, Neighborhood Characteristics, and Walking Within the Neighborhood Among Older Hong Kong Chinese

Objective: We examined the associations of educational attainment and area socioeconomic status (SES) with total within-neighborhood walking patterns and percentage of walking undertaken for recreation purposes in Hong Kong elders. Environmental mediators of these associations were also examined. Me...

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Published in:Journal of aging and health 2013-12, Vol.25 (8), p.1425-1444
Main Authors: Cerin, Ester, Mellecker, Robin, Macfarlane, Duncan J., Barnett, Anthony, Cheung, Man-chin, Sit, Cindy H. P., Chan, Wai-man
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Cross-Sectional Studies
Educational Attainment
Educational Status
Elderly
Environment Design - statistics & numerical data
Environmental Factors
Exercise
Female
Health technology assessment
Hong Kong
Humans
Male
Neighborhoods
Older people
Recreation
Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data
Social Class
Sociodemographic Factors
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic Status
Walking
Walking - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:Objective: We examined the associations of educational attainment and area socioeconomic status (SES) with total within-neighborhood walking patterns and percentage of walking undertaken for recreation purposes in Hong Kong elders. Environmental mediators of these associations were also examined. Method: Chinese-speaking elders (N = 484), cognitively unimpaired and able to walk unassisted, were recruited from 32 street blocks stratified by SES and walkability. Interviewer-administered surveys were conducted to collect data on walking and sociodemographics. Neighborhood environments were audited. Results: Educational attainment was positively related to walking outcomes, while area SES was only positively related to percentage of walking allocated to recreational purposes. While no mediators of area SES-walking associations were identified, several environmental attributes explained the associations of educational attainment with walking. Discussion: Educational attainment rather than area SES is a key determinant of walking in Hong Kong elders; these effects are mostly attributable to social and individual rather than environmental factors.
ISSN:0898-2643
1552-6887
DOI:10.1177/0898264313510034