Are Area-Level Crimes Associated with Older Adults’ Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior?

There is limited evidence for the associations of area-level crime with older adults’ physical activity and sedentary behavior, especially in Asia. This study explored the association of area-level crime with older adults’ active and sedentary behavior. A telephone-based survey of Taiwanese seniors was conducted in September–November of 2017. Data related to sociodemographic factors, residential neighborhood (objectively recorded area-level crime incidence), and time spent in physical activity and sedentary behavior, were obtained from 1068 older adults. Adjusted binary logistic regression was analyzed. Fully adjusted analyses showed older adults living in neighborhoods with a higher incidence of drug crime (odds ratio, OR = 0.71, 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.52–0.96), car theft (OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.51–0.95), and locomotive theft (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.51–0.94) were found to be less likely to achieve the recommendation on physical activity. In addition, those living in neighborhoods with a higher incidence of theft (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.05–3.55), drug crime (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.05–3.55), breaking and entering (OR = 2.04, 95% CI 1.11–3.76), and rape (OR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.20–4.06) were more likely to have more sedentary time. There were sex differences in the association of area-level crime incidence with physical activity and sedentary behavior. These findings suggest that crime prevention should be considered when designing physical activity and sedentary behavior interventions for older adults.