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How Is the Neighborhood Environment Related to the Health of Seniors Living in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo? Some Insights for Promoting Aging in Place

Author

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  • Becky P. Y. Loo
  • Winnie W. Y. Lam
  • Rathi Mahendran
  • Keiko Katagiri

Abstract

Aging in place can be a challenge for seniors living in cities, where the infrastructure and associated services are typically designed for the working population to enhance efficiency and productivity. Through surveying community-dwelling seniors, we ask these research questions: How is the neighborhood environment related to the physical and mental health of seniors living in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo? How can we make cities more age-friendly to encourage aging in place? To answer these research questions, both observational and questionnaire surveys are used. Characteristics of the local neighborhood are captured by individual-based and general local characteristics. Multilevel analysis is used to disentangle the effects of factors operating at different spatial scales. A total of 687 seniors aged sixty-five and older living in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo in eleven residential neighborhood districts were recruited through local senior community centers. Based on the final models, 17.53 percent and 8.24 percent of the variance in the physical and mental health scores is across general neighborhoods, respectively, and the remaining is at the individual level, including individual-based neighborhood factors. Biological factors are not the most important. Instead, having a normal range of weight and the proper use of a walking aid can allow seniors, even of the oldest-old group of eighty-five and older, to be more active. Policy-wise, neighborhood factors should be carefully planned to promote seniors' health directly through enhancing walkability and fostering supportive peer groups and indirectly through encouraging a more active lifestyle. Promoting a walkable urban environment should be a priority area for supporting aging in place in cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Becky P. Y. Loo & Winnie W. Y. Lam & Rathi Mahendran & Keiko Katagiri, 2017. "How Is the Neighborhood Environment Related to the Health of Seniors Living in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo? Some Insights for Promoting Aging in Place," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 107(4), pages 812-828, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:raagxx:v:107:y:2017:i:4:p:812-828
    DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2016.1271306
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Leung, Kevin Y.K. & Loo, Becky P.Y. & Tsui, K.L. & So, F.L. & Fok, Ellen, 2021. "To cross or not to cross: A closer look at children’s decision-making on the road," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 1-11.
    2. Yeh, Anthony Gar-On & Zhong, Teng, 2021. "Polygonization method for automatic generation of indoor and outdoor pedestrian navigation path for smart city," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    3. Su, Shiliang & Zhou, Hao & Xu, Mengya & Ru, Hu & Wang, Wen & Weng, Min, 2019. "Auditing street walkability and associated social inequalities for planning implications," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 62-76.
    4. Moogoor, Adithi & Močnik, Špela & Yuen, Belinda, 2022. "Neighbourhood environmental influences on older adults’ physical activities and social participation in Singapore: A photovoice study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    5. Fan Zhang & Dezhi Li, 2019. "How the Urban Neighborhood Environment Influences the Quality of Life of Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults: An Influence Model of “NE-QoL”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-22, October.
    6. Winston Yap & Jiat-Hwee Chang & Filip Biljecki, 2023. "Incorporating networks in semantic understanding of streetscapes: Contextualising active mobility decisions," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(6), pages 1416-1437, July.
    7. Shi, Haochen & Yu, Lijun & Xu, Yaogeng & Liu, Yuqi & Zhao, Miaoxi, 2023. "The impact of the streetscape built environment on recreation satisfaction: A case study of Guangzhou," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    8. Ma, Jingwen & Zhao, Shengchuan & Li, Wu & Liu, Meng & Luo, Huanhuan, 2022. "Heterogeneity in seniors' unmet walking needs: A latent class analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    9. Kimiko Tomioka & Norio Kurumatani & Keigo Saeki, 2019. "Association between housing tenure and self-rated health in Japan: Findings from a nationwide cross-sectional survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-13, November.
    10. Yang, Yongjiang & Sasaki, Kuniaki & Cheng, Long & Tao, Sui, 2022. "Does the built environment matter for active travel among older adults: Insights from Chiba City, Japan," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    11. Gideon Baffoe & Keith Kintrea, 2022. "Towards Understanding the Landscapes of Neighbourhood Research: An Insight from Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, March.
    12. Becky PY Loo & Zhuangyuan Fan, 2023. "Social interaction in public space: Spatial edges, moveable furniture, and visual landmarks," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(9), pages 2510-2526, November.
    13. Xu, Mengya & Xin, Jing & Su, Shiliang & Weng, Min & Cai, Zhongliang, 2017. "Social inequalities of park accessibility in Shenzhen, China: The role of park quality, transport modes, and hierarchical socioeconomic characteristics," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 38-50.
    14. Lai, Xinjun & Lam, William H.K. & Su, Junbiao & Fu, Hui, 2019. "Modelling intra-household interactions in time-use and activity patterns of retired and dual-earner couples," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 172-194.

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