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Assessing the Impact of a Hilly Environment on Depressive Symptoms among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author

Listed:
  • Takafumi Abe

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan)

  • Kenta Okuyama

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
    Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, 20502 Malmö, Sweden)

  • Tsuyoshi Hamano

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
    Department of Sports Sociology and Health Sciences, Faculty of Sociology, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto 603-8555, Japan)

  • Miwako Takeda

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan)

  • Masayuki Yamasaki

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
    Faculty of Human Sciences, Shimane University, Shimane 690-8504, Japan)

  • Minoru Isomura

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
    Faculty of Human Sciences, Shimane University, Shimane 690-8504, Japan)

  • Kunihiko Nakano

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan)

  • Kristina Sundquist

    (Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Head Office for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
    Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, 20502 Malmö, Sweden
    Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-5674, USA)

  • Toru Nabika

    (Department of Functional Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Shimane 693-8501, Japan)

Abstract

Although some neighborhood environmental factors have been found to affect depressive symptoms, few studies have focused on the impact of living in a hilly environment, i.e., land slope, on depressive symptoms among rural older adults. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate whether a land slope is associated with depressive symptoms among older adults living in rural areas. Data were collected from 935 participants, aged 65 years and older, who lived in Shimane prefecture, Japan. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and defined on the basis of an SDS score ≥ 40. Land slopes within a 400 m network buffer were assessed using geographic information systems. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of depressive symptoms were estimated using logistic regression. A total of 215 (23.0%) participants reported depressive symptoms. The land slope was positively associated with depressive symptoms (OR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.01–1.08) after adjusting for all confounders. In a rural setting, living in a hillier environment was associated with depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults in Japan.

Suggested Citation

  • Takafumi Abe & Kenta Okuyama & Tsuyoshi Hamano & Miwako Takeda & Masayuki Yamasaki & Minoru Isomura & Kunihiko Nakano & Kristina Sundquist & Toru Nabika, 2021. "Assessing the Impact of a Hilly Environment on Depressive Symptoms among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-11, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:9:p:4520-:d:542589
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mohammad Javad Koohsari & Tomoki Nakaya & Koichiro Oka, 2018. "Activity-Friendly Built Environments in a Super-Aged Society, Japan: Current Challenges and toward a Research Agenda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-9, September.
    2. Mayumi Oka & Mio Yamamoto & Kanae Mure & Tatsuya Takeshita & Mikio Arita, 2016. "Relationships between Lifestyle, Living Environments, and Incidence of Hypertension in Japan (in Men): Based on Participant’s Data from the Nationwide Medical Check-Up," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(10), pages 1-9, October.
    3. Tsuyoshi Hamano & Masamitsu Kamada & Jun Kitayuguchi & Kristina Sundquist & Jan Sundquist & Kuninori Shiwaku, 2014. "Association of Overweight and Elevation with Chronic Knee and Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-10, April.
    4. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo & Angelia Sia & Anna Fogel & Roger Ho, 2020. "Can Exposure to Certain Urban Green Spaces Trigger Frontal Alpha Asymmetry in the Brain?—Preliminary Findings from a Passive Task EEG Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-10, January.
    5. Marita Stier-Jarmer & Veronika Throner & Michaela Kirschneck & Gisela Immich & Dieter Frisch & Angela Schuh, 2021. "The Psychological and Physical Effects of Forests on Human Health: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-39, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Atsushi Motohiro & Takafumi Abe & Kenta Okuyama & Keiichi Onoda & Tomoko Ito & Minoru Isomura & Toru Nabika & Shunichi Kumakura, 2021. "Environmental Factors Affecting Cognitive Function among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-9, August.

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