Residential environment and active ageing: the role of physical barriers in leisure participation

Abstract

Active ageing is conditioned by social, economic and personal determinants, health and social services, and the physical environment. In connection with this, age-friendly residential environments enable to adjust the places of daily life to the changes that accompany the aging process, in order to promote integration and active ageing at all ages. This work analyzed the obstacles of the physical environment for the mobility of older people, as barriers to participation in leisure activities in the neighborhood or place of residence. Its impact on the quality of life indicators of satisfaction with free time and with life as a whole is also examined. For this purpose, the Pilot Survey of the Longitudinal Study on Ageing in Spain Project (ELES-EP Project) was used, with a representative sample of community residents aged 50 years and above. Structural equation models were applied to analyze the relationship of the focal variables (barriers, free time and life satisfaction), controlling for the effect of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health, functional capacity and social relationships, among other determinants of active ageing. The results indicated that obstacles relating to accessibility of housing or buildings might reduce the frequency with which older people participate in leisure activities in their community, which in turn negatively affects satisfaction with free time and quality of life. Ensuring a barrier-free residential environment is key to promoting active ageing and to enhancing quality of life.