The Relationship of Perceived Neighborhood Social Climate to Walking in Hispanic Older Adults

Abstract

Objective: This study examines possible bidirectional relationships between neighborhood climate (i.e., perceived neighborhood social environment) and walking behavior across a 12-month period in older Hispanics. Method: A population-based sample of 217 community-dwelling older Hispanics in Miami, Florida, completed measures of perceived neighborhood climate and neighborhood walking, at two assessment time points (12 months apart). Results: Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that neighborhood climate predicted subsequent walking 12 months later, such that more positive perceptions of neighborhood climate predicted more walking. Follow-up analyses revealed that older adults who resided in the top half of neighborhoods based on perceived neighborhood climate scores at initial assessment were 2.57 times as likely to have walked at least one block in the last week at follow-up, relative to older adults residing in neighborhoods whose climate was in the lower half. Discussion: Perceptions of a more positive neighborhood social environment may promote walking in urban, older Hispanics.