Assessing health-related resources in senior living residences

Abstract

This study evaluated a new tool, “The Audit of Physical Activity Resources for Seniors” (APARS), which assesses the physical activity environment in Senior Living Residences (SLRs). Audits were conducted in 29 SLRs and inter-rater reliability was assessed. Pearson correlations were examined between APARS items and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time, and self-rated health, collected from residents at a subset of 12 SLRs (N=147). Eighty-nine of the 90 items (98.9%) demonstrated Kappa or ICC values above .70 and/or percent agreement above 80%. The 90 items were summarized into nine scales. Two scales (outside supportive physical activity features/functionality and outside exercise facilities) were related to greater physical activity and less sedentary time. Four scales (inside social facilities, onsite services, exercise programs, and social activities) were related to greater sedentary time and better self-rated health. APARS items demonstrated adequate inter-rater reliability and some evidence for construct validity to assess health-related environments in retirement facilities. Social activities in SLRs could benefit residents by incorporating more physical activity. Use of APARS could inform more health-promoting designs of senior living facilities.

Association of proximity and density of parks and objectively measured physical activity in the United States: A systematic review

“…Parks may, however, need to be 'discounted' for neighborhood characteristics such as crime, and other characteristics that influence "social access" and may diminish the apparent benefit of spatial access (Weiss et al, 2011). In addition to park access measures, a few studies also included factors such as aesthetics and perceived quality (Ries et al, 2009), safety Wieters et al, 2012), amenities and facilities (Kerr et al, 2011;Scott et al, 2007b), and type of park (Jago et al, 2006b). A subset of studies combined GPS and accelerometer data to identify the location of physical activity (Dunton et al, 2013;Rodríguez et al, 2012).…”

Examining correlates of self-reported and objectively measured physical activity among retirement village residents

“…Only 27.1% of participants engaged in Ն150 minutes of objectively measured MVPA per week, thus meeting the recommended amount of PA to reduce chronic disease risk and disability [1]. Our sample participated in more objectively measured MVPA than continuing care retirement community residents [14] and communitydwelling older adults [22] in the United States; however, this may relate in part to differences in participants' physical functioning status and possible self-selection into retirement villages. Nevertheless, our results highlight that approximately 70% of residents do not accrue sufficient amounts of weekly PA to benefit health.…”

“…meterplussoftware.com). Valid accelerometer data were required for at least five valid days; a valid day contained Ն10 valid hours, which were defined as <45 consecutive zero counts [13,14]. Distinguishing PA intensity levels from raw accelerometer data requires the use of cut-points; however, no widely accepted cut-points specific for older adults exist.…”

Built environmental correlates of older adults’ total physical activity and walking: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Four distinct findings would be extracted from these two examples. We then cross-examined other articles from the same dataset (e.g., Senior Neighborhood Quality of Life Study (SNQLS) [ 43 – 48 ]) to avoid duplication of extracted data.…”