The association between the number of parks near home and levels of physical activity among community-dwelling older adults: A longitudinal study

Introduction: Research investigating the association between park availability and older adults' physical activity levels using objective methods is scarce and mainly cross-sectional. This study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the number of parks near home and levels of physical activity among older adults. Methods: At baseline, 431 older adults provided valid data. Three years later, 147 participants took part in the follow-up. Participants' levels of physical activity were assessed using accelerometry. The number of parks near their home was calculated using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Mixed models were fitted to assess the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the number of parks near home and older adults' physical activity levels. Results: A higher number of parks near home predicted higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and was associated with a slower decline in physical activity among the younger-old. However, older participants having more parks nearby showed a stronger decline in their physical activity levels than older participants having less parks nearby. Conclusions: Promoting park availability is a viable strategy to support the physical activity levels of the younger-old. More research is needed to unleash the potential beneficial effects of having many parks nearby for the older-old.