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How do objective and subjective assessments of neighbourhood influence social and physical functioning in older age? Findings from a British survey of ageing

How do objective and subjective assessments of neighbourhood influence social and physical functioning in older age? Findings from a British survey of ageing
How do objective and subjective assessments of neighbourhood influence social and physical functioning in older age? Findings from a British survey of ageing
The objective was to investigate associations between type of area, individuals' perceptions of their neighbourhoods, and indicators of social and physical functioning. Social functioning was measured using numbers of social activities and frequency of social contacts in the past month. Physical functioning was measured with Townsend's Activities of Daily Living scale. The study was a British cross-sectional population survey of people aged 65 plus living at home. Multilevel analyses indicated that respondents who lived in affluent areas were less likely to have low levels of social activity independently of individual demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Individuals' perceptions of the area as neighbourly and having good facilities were also independently associated with lower likelihood of low social activities. Affluence of the area and perceived neighbourhood were associated with physical functioning, although these associations disappeared once adjustment was made for individuals' characteristics. Both objective and more subjective measures of the neighbourhood independently contributed to our understanding of the determinants of social and physical functioning in older age. The unique value of this paper is its inclusion of the influence of perceived neighbourhood on the social and physical functioning of an older population, which are key components of active ageing.
social capital, neighbourhood, social health, physical functioning
0277-9536
2533 - 2549
Bowling, Ann
796ca209-687f-4079-8a40-572076251936
Stafford, Mai
c04bc94d-2eb4-47ef-a228-f2f0442d74cf
Bowling, Ann
796ca209-687f-4079-8a40-572076251936
Stafford, Mai
c04bc94d-2eb4-47ef-a228-f2f0442d74cf

Bowling, Ann and Stafford, Mai (2007) How do objective and subjective assessments of neighbourhood influence social and physical functioning in older age? Findings from a British survey of ageing. Social Science & Medicine, 64 (12), 2533 - 2549. (doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.03.009). (PMID:17433509)

Record type: Article

Abstract

The objective was to investigate associations between type of area, individuals' perceptions of their neighbourhoods, and indicators of social and physical functioning. Social functioning was measured using numbers of social activities and frequency of social contacts in the past month. Physical functioning was measured with Townsend's Activities of Daily Living scale. The study was a British cross-sectional population survey of people aged 65 plus living at home. Multilevel analyses indicated that respondents who lived in affluent areas were less likely to have low levels of social activity independently of individual demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Individuals' perceptions of the area as neighbourly and having good facilities were also independently associated with lower likelihood of low social activities. Affluence of the area and perceived neighbourhood were associated with physical functioning, although these associations disappeared once adjustment was made for individuals' characteristics. Both objective and more subjective measures of the neighbourhood independently contributed to our understanding of the determinants of social and physical functioning in older age. The unique value of this paper is its inclusion of the influence of perceived neighbourhood on the social and physical functioning of an older population, which are key components of active ageing.

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Published date: June 2007
Keywords: social capital, neighbourhood, social health, physical functioning
Organisations: Faculty of Health Sciences

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Local EPrints ID: 334564
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/334564
ISSN: 0277-9536
PURE UUID: 99dd1703-91fd-49c5-8a76-b607f8b2b297

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Date deposited: 30 Mar 2012 13:32
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 10:35

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Author: Ann Bowling
Author: Mai Stafford

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