Senior Victorians and walking: Obstacles and opportunities Dr Jan Garrard Active Transport...
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Transcript of Senior Victorians and walking: Obstacles and opportunities Dr Jan Garrard Active Transport...
Senior Victorians and walking:Obstacles and opportunities
Dr Jan GarrardActive Transport Consultant
Walking across the life course…
“Walking is the first thing an infant wants to do and the last thing an older person wants to give up.”
(International Charter for Walking, Walk 21, October 2006).
Summary and full report available from Victoria Walks:http://www.victoriawalks.org.au/Assets/Files/FINALSeniorsFullReport.pdf
Study components
1. Desktop literature review2. Analysis of walking data (VISTA) for
Victorian seniors3. Eight focus group discussions with
senior Victorians 4. Survey of senior Victorians (N = 1128)
This presentation
Draws on selected findings from the four study components covering: Health and social benefits of physical
activity/walking for older adults Senior Victorians’ walking behaviour Supports and constraints on seniors’ walking Creating supportive environments for seniors’
walking
Why promote seniors’ walking?(i) Higher risk of chronic diseases associated with physical inactivity
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75 +0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Heart Disease(males)Heart Disease (females)Diabetes (males)Diabetes (females)Cancer (males)Cancer (females)
Perc
enta
ge
Proportions of Australians with heart disease, diabetes and cancer(Source: ABS 2012)
(ii) (many!) more seniors...
Historical and projected age profile of the Australian population(Source: CSIRO, 2010, Global Megatrends, Australian Business Foundation Event, 21 July,
2010; based on ABS data)
(iii) Who are less active
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
67 67 6460
54
42
Ade
quat
ely
activ
e (%
)
Physical activity levels (adequately active) by age, Victoria, 2010(Source: Victorian Population Health Survey)
Never too old to be active...“Move more often every day”
(British Heart Foundation 2012)
• Recent activity is the key• Maintaining activity into older age• Getting sedentary individuals active• Benefits outweigh the risks
Walking: senior Victorians’ preferred form of physical activity (ABS 2012)
15–17 18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65 and over0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45Cycling/BMXing Fitness/Gym Jogging/Running
Swimming/Diving Walking for exercise
Parti
cipa
nts
(%)
Walking for transport
Has all of the health benefits of moderate intensity physical activity and more:* Health, environmental, transport and community
liveability benefits of reduced car use* An ‘incidental’ form of physical activity (PA) for
people who might otherwise be sedentary* A more socially inclusive form of PA than leisure-
time physical activity
Creating supportive environments for transport walking – an investment in health equity
(Source: National Health Survey, ABS 103)
Walking fo
r transp
ort
Walking fo
r fitness,
recre
ation or sport
Moderate
Vigorous
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
First quintile
Second quintile
Third quintile
Fourth quintile
Fifth quintile
Aver
age
min
utes
per
wee
k
The first quintile refers to the most disadvantaged 20% of areas in Australia, and the fifth quintile refers to the most advantaged 20% of areas in Australia based on the ABS SEIFA Index)
Understanding and supporting seniors’ walking
Physical environment
(natural and built)
Policy/regulatory environment
Social/cultural environment
Intra-personal factors
Walking for recreation and
transport
Focus on intra-personal factors (particularly ‘functional decline’) has detracted from other determinants of older adults’ walking, particularly environmental factors
Proportion of trips by walking, age 65 years and over: international comparative
data
Germany Netherlands Denmark (70-85 years)
Victoria0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
34
28
21
14
Prop
ortio
n of
trip
sby
wal
king
(%)
And within Victoria...Proportion of trips by walking for seniors and the overall adult population by metropolitan Melbourne LGA (Source: VISTA 2009-10)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 400
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Walking trips (seniors 60+ years) (%)
Wal
king
trip
s (a
dults
20+
yte
ars)
(%)
What are the obstacles to more senior Victorians walking?
It’s not about attitudes“…the last thing an older person wants to
give up.”(Source: Focus Group Discussions)
“Basic to people – it’s not one of those superficial things.” “I can’t imagine not doing it – it’s part and parcel of my life.”“It would be terrible – stuck all day at home!”“I value my walking very much...I don’t know what I would do. 11 out of 10 – that’s how important it is!”
Or distances seniors are able and prepared to walk
(Source: VISTA 2009-10)
Senior Victorians (60+ years) walk an average of 0.5 (walk-only) trips a day
Mean walking trip distance: 0.9km (seniors) 0.9 km (Victorians aged 20+)
Walking trip distance by age (not statistically significant): 1.0km for 60-69 years 0.9km for 70-79 years 0.7 for 80 years or over
Mean walking trip time: 13.7 minutes (seniors) 12.5 minutes (all adults aged 20 years and over)
Supportive environments for walking in general more seniors walking
Reasons for walking for recreation, exercise or to get to places(0 = No, not important; 1 = Yes, somewhat important; 2 = Yes, moderately important; 3 = Yes, very important)
(Source: Seniors’ Walking Survey)
Because I don't drive a car
Taking the dog for a walk
To get to public transport
I enjoy walking with other people
Walking is more enjoyable than driving
Seeing or chatting with people along the way
Walking has become a habit for me
Interesting/attractive walking routes/destinations
Getting out and about in the neighbourhood
To get around independently
Walking makes me feel good
Getting out in the fresh air
Staying fit so I can look after myself
To improve or maintain my health
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0
0.3
0.8
0.9
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.6
1.7
1.8
2.0
2.1
2.1
2.4
2.4
Mean score
Recreational/transport walking by age(Source: Seniors walking survey)
60-69 70-79 80+0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
8076 75
64
4038
50
Recreational walkingTransport walking
Age
% in
age
gro
up w
alki
ng >
1 hr
/wee
k
Seniors’ walking destinations by age(Source: VISTA 2009-10)
Buy something Social/recreational
Personal business Work related Pick-up/deliver something
Serve passenger0
10
20
30
40
50
60
36
31
17
10
42
44
31
19
1 24
54
16
27
0
3
0
40
29
19
6
3 2
60-6970-7980+All seniors
Trip purpose
Perc
ent o
f tri
ps
Constraints on seniors’ walking:walking environments and the behaviour of other
road/path users
Dogs that are off-leash or not under control
Poorly-maintained footpaths (uneven, sloping, slippery or dirty)
Poorly lit footpaths
Drivers failing to give way to pedestrians when they are supposed to
Bicycle riders on shared walking and cycling paths
Not enough public toilets
No footpaths on streets or roads
Obstructions on footpaths
Not enough resting places (eg seats)
Footpaths that are too narrow
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Moderate or major constraint (%)
(Source: Seniors’ Walking Survey)
Factors impacting on feelings of safety while walking(Source: Seniors Walking Survey)
Better cyclist behaviour on shared paths
Reduce cycling speed on shared paths
More emphasis on pedestrian safety in driver education
More policing of drivers yielding rules
40 km/h speed zones in local shopping centres
Traffic alming in residential areas
40 km/h speed zones in residential areas
Attend a safe walking course
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8
1.7
1.5
1.4
1.2
1.1
1.0
0.9
0.5
(0 = No, wouldn’t make me feel any safer; 1 = Yes, a bit safer; 2 = Yes, moderately safer; 3 = Yes, much safer)
Additional walking needs for senior Victorians
Make walking: Attractive
Interesting and attractive routes and destinations (including for utility trips)
Comfortable Shelter (from weather, including shade), seating,
public toilets Appealing
Access to shops, services and public transport Safe
Traffic-related injuries Fall injuries
Pedestrian fatalities by age, Victoria, 2003-2012(Source: TAC Online Crash Database 2012)
0-20 21-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
67
44
60 64
3849
148
Age (years)
Num
ber o
f fat
aliti
es
Are older pedestrians risky road users?
Risky road users?(Source: Michael Nieuwesteeg, Allison McIntyre. “Exploring the pedestrian crash problem from the
perspective of injured pedestrians”. Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference, 31 August-3 September, 2010, Canberra)
Crash type
Pedestrians aged 16-39 Pedestrians aged 60+
% of crashes % of crashes
Pedestrian crossing road 71% 79%
Crossing intersection 35% 46%
Crossing mid-block 34% 27%
Crossing roundabout 3% 7%
Pedestrian not crossing road 29% 21%
TAC survey, pedestrians aged between 16 and 39 years (n = 110) and pedestrians aged 60 years plus (n = 90), pedestrians injured in crashes in 40, 50 and 60 km/h speed zones in Victoria in 2008.
Who was at fault?(younger and older age groups combined)
Driver only Pedestrian only Both parties Unclear
Crossing at intersection 79% 10% 5% 6%
Crossing mid-block 44% 30% 3% 23%
Older pedestrians: more ‘careless’ than younger pedestrians?
Issue 16-39 years 60+ years
Pedestrian at fault 34% 12%Heavy or congested traffic 23% 10%Poor light conditions 46% 26%Raining 8% 11%Tired/fatigued 15% 3%Stressed/anxious 14% 2%Distracted 23% 2%Impaired by alcohol 25% 3%Impaired by drugs 0% NAImpaired mobility NA 8%
‘At-risk’ rather than ‘risk-taking’ Reduced motor, sensory and cognitive abilities which, together with
increased frailty, can increase the risk of pedestrian injury (GOAL Consortium 2012); BUT
Older adults are more cautious and law-abiding pedestrians than younger age groups.
They are not risk-takers, but rather at-risk from the environment they move about in.
Because they are generally careful pedestrians, unexpected incidents (eg cyclists overtaking closely at high speed, unleashed dogs) cause considerable concern, though actual risk of injury is low.
Fall injuries are a greater risk for older adults than younger adults - indications from the study that fall injuries are a greater concern for older adults than traffic injury risks.
Fall injuries among older adults using the public road system
Less is known about the causes of fall injuries while walking in public spaces than traffic collision injuries
Probably outnumber collision injuries by at least a factor of two ‘Trade-off’ between avoiding fall injury or traffic injury (eg gaze
directed at walking surface rather than traffic when crossing roads)
Combination of individual (functional) and environmental factors: Lack of footpaths Poorly designed and/or maintained footpaths Road crossings (placement, design, road user behaviours) Shared paths (design and users – cyclists, other pedestrians,
uncontrolled dogs) Older pedestrians require a Safe System of safer roads,
vehicles, speeds and road user behaviours
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
-4.00
-5.00
-0.90
2.40
-2.8
-4.2-3.5
0.1
Victoria Australia
Drivers Passengers Pedestrians
Cyclists
(Source: BITRE 2012; Victoria Walks - http://www.victoriawalks.org.au/)
Average annual percentage change in fatalities by road user group, 2002-2011
Summary:Supporting older adults to do what they want to do
Many seniors want to walk, for a range of reasons, thus providing multiple motivators:• Health, independence, mobility, social connectedness,
community engagement Create supportive environments:
• Access to shops, services and public transport via walking networks and infrastructure that are safe and perceived to be safe from traffic, falls and assault.
Variations in seniors’ walking rates by LGA in metropolitan Melbourne demonstrate that walking in local neighbourhoods will occur ‘naturally’ and ‘incidentally’ when walking is established as a feasible, appealing, attractive, convenient, safe alternative to car travel for short local trips.
Thank you!