Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #122023

William A. Satariano, PhD, Center for Public Health Practice, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, 510-642-6641, sdratler@uclink4.berkeley.edu

Research indicates that residence in particular neighborhoods is associated with specific levels of walking and other forms of physical activity in older populations. In particular, older residents of neighborhoods characterized by high population density, integration of housing with retail and other services, and a grid-street pattern are more likely to walk and engage in other forms of physical activity than are older residents of other geographic areas. Research has been based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), environmental audits, and personal interviews. Despite the significance of this research, less attention has been given to the behavioral and biological mechanisms associated with these environmental patterns of walking and physical activity.

This presentation will review possible mechanisms for the association between neighborhood characteristics and walking and other forms of physical activity. This will include research on allostatic load, biological reactivity, and social capital. The primary thesis will be that research on the effects of the environment on physical activity should include consideration of the functional capacity of individuals and populations. Special attention will be given to the variable of time and the feasibility of environmental assessment over the life course in studies of older populations. This presentation will be based in part on an ongoing national study of the environmental correlates of walking in older populations, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Learning Objectives:

• tba

Keywords: Environmental Health,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation