Sufficiently Distant Parks and Public Services Facilitate Older Adults' Physical Activity

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä and published in Frontiers of Public Health found that physical activity destinations more than 500 meters from home may encourage older adults to become more physically engaged, reports EurekAlert . Almost 200 men and women from Central Finland between 79 and 94 years old participated, noting on an online map any outdoor mobility-facilitating destinations they saw. Outdoor mobility-facilitating parks, walking trails, and public services at greater distances boosted physical activity. "Older people reporting attractive destinations more than 500 meters away were more physically active than those who did not report any destination or reported such destinations only closer to home," said Jyväskylä's Erja Portegijs. She noted that the team provided technical assistance to participants whose information technology skills were limited. "These results support the idea that diversity and quality aspects of neighborhood destinations are important to support older adults' physical activity," Portegijs concluded.