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    Experiences of the Built Environment, Falls and Fear of Falling Outdoors among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study and Future Directions (2020)

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    Published version (642.5Kb)
    Type of Content
    Journal Article
    UC Permalink
    https://hdl.handle.net/10092/100045
    
    Publisher's DOI/URI
    https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041224
    
    Publisher
    MDPI AG
    ISSN
    1660-4601
    Language
    English
    Collections
    • Geospatial Research Institute: Publications [4]
    • Geospatial Research Institute: Research Projects [3]
    Authors
    Curl A
    Fitt H
    Tomintz M
    show all
    Abstract

    Falls can have serious impacts on the health, wellbeing and daily mobilities of older adults. Falls are a leading cause of injury and death amongst older adults and outdoor falls comprise a substantial proportion of pedestrian injuries. As well as physical injuries, the psychological impacts of experiencing a fall can result in older adults getting out of the house less often, resulting in lower levels of physical activity and social connection. Despite the known consequences of falls, relatively little research considers the impact of the urban built environment on falls among older adults. This research aimed to explore the experiences of older adults in the urban environment, falling and the fear of falling outdoors. We conducted an online survey with adults aged 50+ using a participatory mapping survey tool and a convenience sample. The study area was Greater Christchurch, New Zealand. Results suggest that both perceived accessibility and neighbourhood conditions are independently associated with fear of falling, after controlling for frequency of falling, gender and activities of daily living. Our findings demonstrate the need for much better understandings of the relationships between the urban environment, outdoor mobility, fear of falling and falling among older adults and we propose suggestions for future research.

    Citation
    Curl A, Fitt H, Tomintz M Experiences of the Built Environment, Falls and Fear of Falling Outdoors among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study and Future Directions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17(4). 1224-1224.
    This citation is automatically generated and may be unreliable. Use as a guide only.
    Keywords
    falls; ageing; built environment; fear of falling; mobility; wellbeing
    ANZSRC Fields of Research
    33 - Built environment and design::3304 - Urban and regional planning::330411 - Urban design
    42 - Health sciences::4203 - Health services and systems::420301 - Aged health care
    11 - Medical and Health Sciences::1117 - Public Health and Health Services::111705 - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety
    Rights
    All rights reserved unless otherwise stated
    http://hdl.handle.net/10092/17651

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      Curl, A.; Ward Thompson, C.; Alves, S.; Aspinall, P. (University of Canterbury. Geography, 2016)
      We present an approach to exploring the role of environmental supportiveness in contributing to older people’s quality of life (QoL), based on Little’s ecological model (2010) in which individual and situational factors ...
    • A socio-spatial analysis of pedestrian falls in Aotearoa New Zealand 

      Watkins A; Curl A; Mavoa S; Tomintz M; Todd V; Dicker B (Elsevier BV, 2020)
      Falls are a leading cause of injury and accidental death, particularly amongst older people. Evidence of environmental risk factors for pedestrian falls among older adults could support age-friendly urban design and contribute ...
    • Do changes to the local street environment alter behaviour and quality of life of older adults? The 'DIY Streets' intervention. 

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      Background The burden of ill-health due to inactivity has recently been highlighted. Better studies on environments that support physical activity are called for, including longitudinal studies of environmental interventions. ...
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