ACTIVITY ENVIRONMENT BASED ON LIFESTYLE TYPES OF URBAN AREA RESIDENTS

Activity environment for prevention of locomotive syndrome in the elderly part 2

Abstract

 Introduction: Combining health promotion and environmental enhancement is effective for encouraging behavioral changes in relation to improved physical activity and fitness levels among citizens, in whom sedentary lifestyles are becoming more commonplace. Previous studies reported that individual physical activity levels and exercise habits are related not only to individual awareness and motivation, but also to social support systems and the living environment. To examine differences in the amount of physical activity exerted during daily living, the typology of lifestyle groups should be taken into consideration.
 Methods: A field survey was conducted on 24 elderly Japanese residents (age, ≥65 years) living in urban area. All participants were asked to keep a diary to record the use of their time for 3 days, and then to take part in personal interviews. The responses collected were then coded using an activity coding list. Physical activity during daily living was assessed using a triaxial accelerometer. The time use diaries were then matched with physical activity. To identify different lifestyle types, daily physical activity (excluding sleeping time) was analyzed using principal component analysis and cluster analysis.
 Results: After categorizing residents based on activity of dailyl living and physical activity levels, the following five lifestyle types were identified: TV type, hobby type, housework type, social type, and exercise type. The amount and intensity of physical activity were significantly different by lifestyle types. The results of previous field survey (part 1) and this time were different.
 Discussion: The results of the present field survey suggest that the lack of social types seen in the new suburban town was due to differences in the neighborhood environment, namely having fewer connections with neighbors. Walkability (i.e., how agreeable an area is for walking) was considered one of the main reasons for the gap between the regions in the proportion of the elderly characterized as exercise type. These findings are expected to provide fundamental knowledge regarding the relationship between lifestyle types and neighborhood environments. In the future, more detailed studies should be conducted on additional environmental factors such as available facilities, shops and services, sidewalks, and traffic safety.