Cognitive resources moderate the adverse impact of poor perceived neighborhood conditions on self-reported physical activity of older adults

Abstract

Poor neighborhood conditions are associated with lower levels of physical activity for older adults but socio-ecological models posit that physical activity depends on both environmental and individual factors. Older adults' ability to overcome environmental barriers to physical activity may partially rely on cognitive resources. However, evidence on the moderating role of these cognitive resources in the associations between environmental barriers and physical activity is still lacking. We analyzed cross-national and longitudinal data on 28,876 adults aged 50 to 96 years as part of the SHARE. Lack of access to services and neighborhood nuisances were used as indicators of poor neighborhood conditions. Delayed recall and verbal fluency were used as indicators of cognitive resources. Confounder-adjusted generalized estimation equations were conducted to test associations between neighborhood conditions and selfreported moderate physical activity, as well as the moderating role of cognitive resources. Results showed that poor neighborhood conditions reduced the odds of engagement in physical activity. Cognitive resources robustly reduced the adverse influence of poor neighborhood conditions on physical activity. Participants with lower cognitive resource scores showed lower odds of engaging in physical activity when neighborhood conditions were poorer, whereas these conditions were not related to this engagement for participants with higher cognitive resource scores. These findings suggest that cognitive resources can temper the detrimental effect of poor neighborhood conditions on physical activity. Public policies should target both individual and environmental factors to tackle the current pandemic of physical inactivity more comprehensively.

Planning Walkable Neighborhoods for “Aging in Place”: Lessons from Five Aging-Friendly Districts in Singapore

“…The outdoor environment has a large impact on the behavior of residents. Research has pointed out that poor neighborhood conditions are associated with lower levels of physical activity among older adults [43]. One study examined the effect of food retail on the physical activity of adolescents and found that the availability of food stores within walking distance increased their physical activity levels [44].…”

Physical Inactivity: A Behavioral Disorder in the Physical Therapist’s Scope of Practice

“…22 Poor environmental factors such as neighborhood conditions also increase the odds of being physically inactive 23 , but higher cognitive resources reduce this adverse influence. 24…”

Understanding Deprived Communities at the Global Level: Semantic, Operative and Theoretical Dimensions of the Phenomenon

“…Hastings and Snowden (2019) measure neighbourhood disadvantage solely using variables depicting social disorder and lack of amenities. Cheval et al (2019) in the large European study SHARE used subjective assessments of service availability and estimations of neighbourhood nuisances, such as pollution, vandalism, crime and the like.…”