Built environment and elderly population health: a comprehensive literature review

Noe Garin, Beatriz Olaya, Marta Miret, Jose Luis Ayuso-Mateos, Michael Power, Paola Bucciarelli, Josep Maria Haro, Noe Garin, Beatriz Olaya, Marta Miret, Jose Luis Ayuso-Mateos, Michael Power, Paola Bucciarelli, Josep Maria Haro

Abstract

Global population aging over recent years has been linked to poorer health outcomes and higher healthcare expenditure. Policies focusing on healthy aging are currently being developed but a complete understanding of health determinants is needed to guide these efforts. The built environment and other external factors have been added to the International Classification of Functioning as important determinants of health and disability. Although the relationship between the built environment and health has been widely examined in working age adults, research focusing on elderly people is relatively recent. In this review, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of the evidence on the built environment and health in the elderly.

Keywords: Built environment; elderly people; literature review; mental health; physical health; quality of life; well-being..

Figures

Fig. (1)
Fig. (1)
Search strategy summary with keywords.
Fig. (2)
Fig. (2)
Methodological proceedings and results of the search.

References

    1. United Nations Population ageing and Development 2012,.Dep. Econ. Soc. Aff. Popul. Div. New York. New York;.1-2. Available at 2012.
    1. Sundararajan V, Henderson T, Perry C , et al. New ICD-10 version of the Charlson comorbidity index predicted in-hospital mortality. J Clin Epidemiol. 2004;57(12): 1288–94.
    1. Merikangas KR, Ames M, Cui L , et al. The impact of comorbidity of mental and physical conditions on role disability in the US adult household population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(10): 1180–8.
    1. Lehnert T, Heider D, Leicht H , et al. Review health care utilization and costs of elderly persons with multiple chronic conditions. Med Care Res Rev. 2011;68(4): 387–420.
    1. Ose D, Miksch A, Urban E , et al. Health related quality of life and comorbidity.A descriptive analysis comparing EQ-5D dimensions of patients in the German disease management program for type 2 diabetes and patients in routine care. BMC Health Serv Res. 2011;11: 179.
    1. Wong CY, Chaudhry SI, Desai MM, Krumholz HM. Trends in comorbidity, disability, and polypharmacy in heart failure. Am J Med. 2011;124(2): 136–43.
    1. Kirchberger I, Meisinger C, Heier M , et al. Patterns of multimorbidity in the aged population.Results from the KORA-Age study. PLoS One. 2012;7(1): e30556.
    1. Nagl A, Witte J, Hodek JM, Greiner W. Relationship between multimorbidity and direct healthcare costs in an advanced elderly population.Results of the PRISCUS trial. Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;45(2): 146–54.
    1. Garin N, Olaya B, Perales J , et al. Multimorbidity patterns in a national representative sample of the Spanish adult population. PLoS One. 2014;9(1): e84794.
    1. European Commission.Taking forward the strategic implementation plan of the European innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing. Brusels COM 2012) 83 Final 29.2.2012. 2012. Available at health/ageing/docs/com_2012_83_en.pdf.
    1. World Health Organization Knowledge translation on ageing and health A framework for policy development 2012,.WHO Doc Prod Serv. Geneva Switzerland. 2012. Available at http: //.
    1. World Health Organization Active ageing a policy framework Geneva, Switzerland. World Health Organization. 2003 Available at http: //.
    1. The Swedish National Institute of Public Health Healthy ageing a challenge for Europe. NRS Tryckeri AB. Huskvarna Sweden. 2007 R. 2006;(29)
    1. Clarke P, Ailshire JA, Bader M , et al. Mobility disability and the urban built environment. Am J Epidemiol. 2008;168(5): 506–13.
    1. Cunningham GO, Michael YL. Concepts guiding the study of the impact of the built environment on physical activity for older adults a review of the literature. Am J Health Promot. 2004;18(6): 435–43.
    1. Stokols D. Establishing and maintaining healthy environments.Toward a social ecology of health promotion. Am Psychol. 1992;47(1): 6–22.
    1. Oswald F, Wahl H-W. Housing and health in later life. Rev Environ Health. 2004;19(3-4): 223–52.
    1. Tse T. The environment and falls prevention Do environmental modifications make a differenceκ. Aust Occup Ther J. 2005;52(4): 271–81.
    1. Stewart JE, Battersby SE, Lopez-De Fede A , et al. Diabetes and the socioeconomic and built environment geovisualization of disease prevalence and potential contextual associations using ring maps. Int J Health Geogr. 2011;10: 18.
    1. Bind M-A, Baccarelli A, Zanobetti A , et al. Air pollution and markers of coagulation, inflammation, and endothelial function associations and epigene-environment interactions in an elderly cohort. Epidemiology. 2012;23(2): 332–40.
    1. Carlson JA, Sallis JF, Conway TL , et al. Interactions between psychosocial and built environment factors in explaining older adults' physical activity. Prev Med (Baltim). 2012;54(1): 68–73.
    1. Clarke P, Nieuwenhuijsen ER. Environments for healthy ageing a critical review. Maturitas. 2009;64(1): 14–9.
    1. Macintyre S, Maciver S, Sooman A. Area, Class and health should we be focusing on places or peopleκ. J Soc Policy. 1993;22(02): 213–34.
    1. Diez-Roux A V, Nieto FJ, Muntaner C , et al. Neighborhood environments and coronary heart disease a multilevel analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 1997;146(1): 48–63.
    1. Humpel N, Owen N, Leslie E. Environmental factors associated with adults' participation in physical activity a review. Am J Prev Med. 2002;22(3): 188–99.
    1. Evans GW, Wells NM, Moch A. Housing and mental health a review of the evidence and a methodological and conceptual critique. J Soc Issues. 2003;59(3): 475–500.
    1. Joshu CE, Boehmer TK, Brownson RC, Ewing R. Personal, neighbourhood and urban factors associated with obesity in the United States. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008;62(3): 202–8.
    1. Renalds A, Smith TH, Hale PJ. A systematic review of built environment and health. Fam Community Health. 2010;33(1): 68–78.
    1. Miranda ML, Messer LC, Kroeger GL. Associations between the quality of the residential built environment and pregnancy outcomes among women in North Carolina. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120(3): 471–7.
    1. Araya R, Montgomery A, Rojas G , et al. Common mental disorders and the built environment in Santiago, Chile. Br J Psychiatry. 2007;190: 394–401.
    1. Perks T, Haan M. The dwelling-type choices of older Canadians and future housing demand an investigation using the aging and Social Support Survey (GSS16). Can J Aging. 2010;29(3): 445–63.
    1. Thomas H, Weaver N, Patterson J , et al. Mental health and quality of residential environment. Br J Psychiatry. 2007;191: 500–5.
    1. Clarke PJ, Ailshire JA, Nieuwenhuijsen ER, de Kleijn-de Vrankrijker MW. Participation among adults with disability the role of the urban environment. Soc Sci Med. 2011;72(10): 1674–84.
    1. Yen IH, Michael YL, Perdue L. Neighborhood environment in studies of health of older adults a systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2009;37(5): 455–63.
    1. Gebel K, Bauman AE, Petticrew M. The physical environment and physical activity a critical appraisal of review articles. Am J Prev Med. 2007;32(5): 361–9.
    1. Camilloni L, Farchi S, Rossi PG , et al. A case-control study on risk factors of domestic accidents in an elderly population. Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2011;18(4): 269–76.
    1. Chan WC, Law J, Seliske P. Bayesian spatial methods for small-area injury analysis a study of geographical variation of falls in older people in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph health region of Ontario, Canada. Inj Prev. 2012;18(5): 303–8.
    1. Dogan H, Canbaz S, Tander B , et al. The prevalence of home injuries among elderly people in Samsun, Turkey, and the influencing factors. TURKISH J Med Sci. 2010;40(4): 651–8.
    1. Evci ED, Ergin F, Beκer E. Home accidents in the elderly in Turkey. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2006;209(4): 291–301.
    1. Gill T, Taylor AW, Pengelly A. A population-based survey of factors relating to the prevalence of falls in older people. Gerontology. 2005;51(5): 340–5.
    1. Pluijm SMF, Smit JH, Tromp EAM , et al. A risk profile for identifying community-dwelling elderly with a high risk of recurrent falling results of a 3-year prospective study. Osteoporos Int. 2006;17(3): 417–25.
    1. Huang T-T. Home environmental hazards among community-dwelling elderly persons in Taiwan. J Nurs Res. 2005;13(1): 49–57.
    1. Morris KS, McAuley E, Motl RW. Self-efficacy and environmental correlates of physical activity among older women and women with multiple sclerosis. Health Educ Res. 2008;23(4): 744–52.
    1. Iwarsson S. A long-term perspective on person-environment fit and ADL dependence among older Swedish adults. Gerontologist. 2005;45(3): 327–36.
    1. Freedman VA, Grafova IB, Schoeni RF, Rogowski J. Neighborhoods and disability in later life. Soc Sci Med. 2008;66(11): 2253–67.
    1. Clarke P, Ailshire JA, Lantz P. Urban built environments and trajectories of mobility disability Findings from a national sample of community-dwelling American adults (1986-2001). Soc Sci Med. 2009;69(6): 964–70.
    1. Balfour JL, Kaplan GA. Neighborhood environment and loss of physical function in older adults evidence from the Alameda County Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2002;155(6): 507–15.
    1. Clarke P, George LK. The role of the built environment in the disablement process. Am. J. Public Health. 2005;95(11): 1933–9.
    1. Breeze E, Mangtani P, Fletcher AE , et al. Trends in influenza vaccination uptake among people aged over 74 years, 1997-2000 survey of 73 general practices in Britain. BMC Fam Pract. 2004;5: 8.
    1. Lang IA, Gibbs SJ, Steel N, Melzer D. Neighbourhood deprivation and dental service use a cross-sectional analysis of older people in England. J. Public Health (Oxf). 2008;30(4): 472–8.
    1. Takano T, Nakamura K, Watanabe M. Urban residential environments and senior citizens' longevity in megacity areas the importance of walkable green spaces. J. Epidemiol Community Health. 2002;56(12): 913–8.
    1. Zuluaga MC, Guallar-Castillon P, Conthe P , et al. Housing conditions and mortality in older patients hospitalized for heart failure. Am Heart J. 2011;161(5): 950–5.
    1. Vandentorren S, Bretin P, Zeghnoun A , et al. August 2003, heat wave in France risk factors for death of elderly people living at home. Eur J Public Health. 2006;6(6): 583–91.
    1. Iwarsson S, Horstmann V, Slaug B. Housing matters in very old age - yet differently due to ADL dependence level differences. Scand J Occup Ther. 2007;14(1): 3–15.
    1. Malhotra R, Chan A, Malhotra C , et al. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in the elderly population of Singapore. Hypertens Res. 2010;33(12): 1223–31.
    1. Mishra V. Effect of indoor air pollution from biomass combustion on prevalence of asthma in the elderly. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111(1): 71–8.
    1. Niemann H, Bonnefoy X, Braubach M , et al. Noise-induced annoyance and morbidity results from the pan-European LARES study. Noise Health. 2006;8(31): 63–79.
    1. Osman LM, Ayres JG, Garden C , et al. Home warmth and health status of COPD patients. Eur. J. Public Health. 2008;18(4): 399–405.
    1. Osman LM, Ayres JG, Garden C , et al. A randomised trial of home energy efficiency improvement in the homes of elderly COPD patients. Eur Respir J. 2010;35(2): 303–9.
    1. Rudge J, Gilchrist R. Excess winter morbidity among older people at risk of cold homes a population-based study in a London borough. J Public Health. 2005;27(4): 353–8.
    1. Singh N. Housing Environment on Morbid Conditions of the Elderly. J Hum Ecol. 2012;37(3): 159–66.
    1. Parra DC, Gomez LF, Sarmiento OL , et al. Perceived and objective neighborhood environment attributes and health related quality of life among the elderly in Bogotá, Colombia. Soc Sci Med. 2010;70(7): 1070–6.
    1. Werngren-Elgström M, Carlsson G, Iwarsson S. A 10-year follow-up study on subjective well-being and relationships to person-environment (P-E) fit and activity of daily living (ADL) dependence of older Swedish adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(1): e16–22.
    1. Webb E, Blane D, de Vries R. Housing and respiratory health at older ages. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2013;67(3): 280–5.
    1. Wen M, Hawkley LC, Cacioppo JT. Objective and perceived neighborhood environment, individual SES and psychosocial factors, and self-rated health an analysis of older adults in Cook County, Illinois. Soc Sci Med. 2006;63(10): 2575–90.
    1. Windle GS, Burholt V, Edwards RT. Housing related difficulties, housing tenure and variations in health status evidence from older people in Wales. Health Place. 2006;12(3): 267–78.
    1. Wilson RT, Chase GA, Chrischilles EA, Wallace RB. Hip fracture risk among community-dwelling elderly people in the United States a prospective study of physical, cognitive, and socioeconomic indicators. Am J Public Health. 2006;96(7): 1210–8.
    1. Satariano WA, Ivey SL, Kurtovich E , et al. Lower-body function, neighborhoods, and walking in an older population. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38(4): 419–28.
    1. Gómez LF, Parra DC, Buchner D , et al. Built environment attributes and walking patterns among the elderly population in Bogotá. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38(6): 592–9.
    1. Shores KA, West ST, Theriault DS, Davison EA. Extra-individual correlates of physical activity attainment in rural older adults. J Rural Health. 2009;25(2): 211–8.
    1. Brown SC, Mason CA, Perrino T , et al. Built environment and physical functioning in Hispanic elders the role of “eyes on the street”. Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116(10): 1300–7.
    1. Rosso AL, Auchincloss AH, Michael YL. The urban built environment and mobility in older adults a comprehensive review. J Aging Res. 2011;2011: 816106.
    1. Anderson M, Carmichael C, Murray V , et al. Defining indoor heat thresholds for health in the, UK. Perspect Public Health. 2013;133(3): 158–64.
    1. Webber SC, Porter MM, Menec VH. Mobility in older adults a comprehensive framework. Gerontologist. 2010;50(4): 443–50.
    1. Ritchie K, Artero S, Beluche I , et al. Prevalence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorder in the French elderly population. Br J Psychiatry. 2004;184: 147–52.
    1. Evans GW. The built environment and mental health. J Urban Health. 2003;80(4): 536–55.
    1. Vieira RT, Caixeta L, Machado S , et al. Epidemiology of early-onset dementia a review of the literature. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2013;9: 88–95.
    1. Howden-Chapman PL, Chandola T, Stafford M, Marmot M. The effect of housing on the mental health of older people the impact of lifetime housing history in Whitehall, II. BMC Public Health. 2011;11: 682.
    1. Fonda SJ, Wallace RB, Herzog AR. Changes in driving patterns and worsening depressive symptoms among older adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2001;56(6): S343–51.
    1. Chan A, Malhotra C, Malhotra R, Ostbye T. Living arrangements, social networks and depressive symptoms among older men and women in Singapore. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011;26(6): 630–9.
    1. Lai DWL, Guo A. Gender differences in depressive symptoms of aging chinese in urban jiangsu in China. Clin Gerontol. 2011;34(3): 190–206.
    1. Saarloos D, Alfonso H, Giles-Corti B , et al. The built environment and depression in later life the health in men study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011;19(5): 461–70.
    1. Stewart R, Prince M, Harwood R , et al. Quality of accommodation and risk of depression in later life an analysis of prospective data from the Gospel Oak Project. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2002;17(12): 1091–8.
    1. Berke EM, Gottlieb LM, Moudon AV, Larson EB. Protective association between neighborhood walkability and depression in older men. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007;55(4): 526–33.
    1. Evans GW, Kantrowitz E, Eshelman P. Housing quality and psychological well-being among the elderly population. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2002;57(4): P381–3.
    1. Brown SC, Mason CA, Lombard JL , et al. The relationship of built environment to perceived social support and psychological distress in Hispanic elders the role of “eyes on the street”. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2009;64(2): 234–46.
    1. Blazer DG. Depression in late life review and commentary. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003;58(3): 249–65.
    1. Rimer J, Dwan K, Lawlor DA , et al. Exercise for depression. Cochrane database Syst Rev. 2012;7: CD004366.
    1. Mura G, Carta MG. Physical activity in depressed elderly.A systematic review. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2013;9: 125–35.
    1. Lui C-W, Everingham J-A, Warburton J , et al. What makes a community age-friendly A review of international literature. Australas J Ageing. 2009;28(3): 116–21.
    1. Sugiyama T, Thompson CW. Outdoor environments, activity and the well-being of older people conceptualising environmental support. Environ Plan A. 2007;39(8): 1943–60.
    1. Menec VH, Means R, Keating N , et al. Conceptualizing age-friendly communities. Can J aging. 2011;30(3): 479–93.
    1. World Health Organization The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL): development and general psychometric properties. Soc Sci Med. 1998;46(12): 1569–85.
    1. Diener E, Suh EM, Lucas RE, Smith HL. Subjective well-being Three decades of progress. Psychol Bull. 1999;125(2): 276–302.
    1. World Health Organization Global Age-friendly Cities A Guide WHO, editor. Community Health (Bristol). WHO. 2007 77. Available at http: // Global_age_friendly_cities_Guide_English.pdf.
    1. Oswald F, Wahl H-W, Schilling O , et al. Relationships between housing and healthy aging in very old age. Gerontologist. 2007;47(1): 96–107.
    1. Oswald F, Jopp D, Rott C, Wahl H-W. Is aging in place a resource for or risk to life satisfactionκ. Gerontologist. 2011;51(2): 238–50.
    1. Ng TP, Broekman BFP, Niti M , et al. Determinants of successful aging using a multidimensional definition among Chinese elderly in Singapore. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2009;17(5): 407–16.
    1. Phillips DR, Siu OL, Yeh AGO, Cheng KHC. The impacts of dwelling conditions on older persons' psychological well-being in Hong Kong the mediating role of residential satisfaction. Soc Sci Med. 2005;60(12): 2785–97.
    1. Oswald F, Wahl HW, Mollenkopf H, Schilling O. Housing and life satisfaction of older adults in two rural regions in Germany. Res Aging. 2003;25(2): 122–43.
    1. Carta MG, Aguglia E, Caraci F , et al. Quality of life and urban / rural living preliminary results of a community survey in Italy. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2012;8: 169–74.
    1. Raudenbush SW, Sampson RJ. Ecometrics toward a science of assessing ecological settings, with application to the systematic social observation of neighborhoods. Sociol Methodol. 1999;29(1): 1–41.
    1. Frank LD, Schmid TL, Sallis JF , et al. Linking objectively measured physical activity with objectively measured urban form findings from SMARTRAQ. Am J Prev Med. 2005;28(2) Suppl 2 : 117–25.
    1. Saelens BE, Sallis JF, Black JB, Chen D. Neighborhood-based differences in physical activity an environment scale evaluation. Am J Public Health. 2003;93(9): 1552–8.
    1. Cerin E, Saelens BE, Sallis JF, Frank LD. Neighborhood environment walkability scale validity and development of a short form. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006;38(9): 1682–91.
    1. Leslie E, Saelens B, Frank L , et al. Residents' perceptions of walkability attributes in objectively different neighbourhoods a pilot study. Health Place. 2005;11(3): 227–36.
    1. Fänge A, Iwarsson S. Accessibility and usability in housing construct validity and implications for research and practice. Disabil Rehabil. 2003;25(23): 1316–25.
    1. Iwarsson S, Nygren C, Slaug B. Cross-national and multi-professional inter-rater reliability of the Housing Enabler. Scand J Occup Ther. 2005;12(1): 29–39.
    1. Slaug Enabling Development V& SH The Enabler web site.Providing tools for professional assessments of accesibility problems in the environment 2012. Available at http: //
    1. Openshaw S, editor. Norwich Geo Books. 1984. The modifiable areal unit problem.
    1. Erkilic M. Conceptual challenges between universal design and disability in relation to the body, impairment, and the environment. METU J Fac Archit. 2011;28(2): 181–203.
    1. Hunter RH, Sykes K, Lowman SG , et al. Environmental and policy change to support healthy aging. J Aging Soc Policy. 2011;23(4): 354–71.
    1. Kerr J, Rosenberg D, Frank L. The role of the built environment in healthy aging community design, physical activity, and health among older adults. J Plan Lit. 2012;27(1): 43–60.
    1. Wiles JL, Allen RES, Palmer AJ , et al. Older people and their social spaces a study of well-being and attachment to place in Aotearoa New Zealand. Soc Sci Med. 2009;68(4): 664–71.
    1. Li F, Fisher KJ, Brownson RC, Bosworth M. Multilevel modelling of built environment characteristics related to neighbourhood walking activity in older adults. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005;59(7): 558–64.
    1. Wahl H-W, Fänge A, Oswald F , et al. The home environment and disability-related outcomes in aging individuals what is the empirical evidenceκ. Gerontologist. 2009;49(3): 355–67.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Healthy places terminology 2010. Available at http: // terminology.htm.
    1. EIONET.European Environment Information and Observation Network 2012. Available at http: //

Source: PubMed

3
Tilaa