Unlocking the night: Exploring the health impacts of night-time walking environments on health outcomes of older adults

IF 4.9 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Social Science & Medicine Pub Date : 2024-09-26 DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117359

Hang Li , Huijun Liu , Liqiang Zhao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Walking remains the primary form of physical activity for many older adults in China, and the quality of the walking environment at night may determine the frequency and duration of evening outings. This study reveals how night-time environmental features influence the health outcomes of older adults. Using the medical check-up records of 87,578 older adults from a public health service in the Beilin district of Xi'an city, China, the role of the night-time walking environment in managing chronic conditions was examined. A favorable night-time walking environment reduced the prevalence of chronic conditions and comorbidities among older adults. However, the health effects stemming from the night-time walking environment exhibited heterogeneity, with significant impacts only on metabolic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, while the effects on other conditions were not significant. Our findings supplement the theory of healthy aging by highlighting the potential value of the environment in managing chronic conditions, which may serve as a cost-effective health intervention for aging societies.

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开启黑夜：探索夜间步行环境对老年人健康的影响。

步行仍然是中国许多老年人的主要体育锻炼方式，而夜间步行环境的质量可能会决定老年人晚间外出的频率和持续时间。本研究揭示了夜间环境特征如何影响老年人的健康状况。研究利用西安市碑林区一家公共卫生服务机构的 87578 名老年人的体检记录，考察了夜间步行环境在慢性病管理中的作用。良好的夜间步行环境降低了老年人慢性病和合并症的患病率。然而，夜间步行环境对健康的影响具有异质性，仅对高血压和糖尿病等代谢性疾病有显著影响，而对其他疾病的影响并不明显。我们的研究结果是对健康老龄化理论的补充，强调了环境在管理慢性病方面的潜在价值，可作为老龄化社会中一种具有成本效益的健康干预措施。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Social Science & Medicine PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

5.60%

发文量

762

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Social Science & Medicine provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social science research on health. We publish original research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews, position papers and commentaries on health issues, to inform current research, policy and practice in all areas of common interest to social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers. The journal publishes material relevant to any aspect of health from a wide range of social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography, policy, psychology, and sociology), and material relevant to the social sciences from any of the professions concerned with physical and mental health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy and organization. We encourage material which is of general interest to an international readership.