Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ASCO Annual Meeting 2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Keep up to date with all the top stories and latest evidence with our hub page, including official congress videos and expert takeaways.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Geriatrics
Published in: BMC Geriatrics 1/2023

Open Access 01-12-2023 | Research

Social participation of older people in urban and rural areas: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Authors: C. Allyson Jones, Gian S. Jhangri, Shelby S. Yamamoto, David B. Hogan, Heather Hanson, Mélanie Levasseur, Ernesto Morales, France Légaré

Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2023

Login to get access

Abstract

Background and objectives

Although the positive influence of social activity on health is now well-established, a complex relationship exists among social participation, personal, social and the environment. Social participation of older adults was examined in rural and urban settings to identify features of the built-environment and perception of neighborhood specific to the locale.

Research Design and methods

Using cross-sectional data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), we examined social participation and health of older people (65 + yrs) in relation to the built environment and sociocultural contexts for urban and rural areas. A social participation index was derived from responses on the frequency of participating in 8 social activities over the past 12 months. Personal, household and neighborhood indicators were examined to develop multivariable regression models for social participation in urban and rural cohorts.

Results

No meaningful differences were seen with the frequency of social participation between rural and urban settings; however, the type of community-related activities differed in that a greater proportion of urban participants reported sports and educational/cultural events than rural participants. Service club activities were greater for rural than urban participants. Different neighborhood features were statistically significant factors in explaining social participation in rural than in urban locales, although transportation was a significant factor regardless of locale. Trustworthiness, belonging and safety were perceived factors of the neighborhood associated with higher social participation for rural participants.

Discussion and implications

The relationship between home and health becomes stronger as one ages. Social and physical features of built environment specific to urban and rural settings need to be considered when implementing appropriate social activities for older people.
Literature
1.
Fried LP, Freedman M, Endres TE, Wasik B. Building communities that promote successful aging. West J Med. 1997;167(4):216–9.PubMedPubMedCentral
2.
Levasseur M, Richard L, Gauvin L, Raymond E. Inventory and analysis of definitions of social participation found in the aging literature: proposed taxonomy of social activities. Soc Sci Med. 2010;71(12):2141–9.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
3.
Levasseur M, Lussier-Therrien M, Biron ML, Raymond É, Castonguay J, Naud D, Fortier M, Sévigny A, Houde S, Tremblay L. Scoping study of definitions of social participation: update and co-construction of an interdisciplinary consensual definition. Age Ageing. 2022;51(2):afab215.PubMedCrossRef
4.
5.
Gilmour H. Social participation and the health and well-being of canadian seniors. Health Rep. 2012;23(4):1B.
6.
Lindstrom M, Moghaddassi M, Merlo J. Individual self-reported health, social participation and neighbourhood: a multilevel analysis in Malmo, Sweden. Preventative Med. 2004;39(1):135–41.CrossRef
7.
Levasseur M, Cohen AA, Dubois MF, Genereux M, Richard L, Therrien FH, Payette H. Environmental factors associated with social participation of older adults living in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas: the NuAge Study. Am J Public Health. 2015;105(8):1718–25.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
8.
Després C. The meaning of home: literature review and directions for future research and theoretical development. J Architectural Plann Res. 1991;8(2):96–115.
9.
10.
Fougeyrollas P, Boucher N, Edwards G, Grenier Y, Noreau L. The disability creation process model: a comprehensive explanation of disabling situations as a guide to developing policy and service programs. Scandinavian J Disabil Res. 2019;21(1).
11.
World Health Organization. World Report on Ageing and Health. In. Geneva; 2015.
12.
Oswald F, Jopp D, Rott C, Wahl H-W. Is aging in place a resource for or risk to life satisfaction? Gerontologist. 2011;51(2):238–50.PubMedCrossRef
13.
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: The Right to Adequate Housing. In: Fact sheet No 21/Rev 1. Edited by United Nations. Geneva 10, Switzerland. 2014: 58.
14.
Wiles JL, Leibing A, Guberman N, Reeve J, Allen RES. The meaning of “Aging in Place” to older people. Gerontologist. 2012;52(3):357–66.PubMedCrossRef
15.
Srinivasan S, O’Fallon LR, Dearry A. Creating healthy communities, healthy homes, healthy people: initiating a research agenda on the built environment and public health. Am J Public Health. 2003;93(9):1446–50.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
16.
Maas J, Verheij RA, Groenewegen PP, de Vries S, Spreeuwenberg P. Green space, urbanity, and health: how strong is the relation? J Epidemiol Commun Health. 2006;60(7):587.CrossRef
17.
de Vries S, Verheij RA, Groenewegen PP, Spreeuwenberg P. Natural environments—healthy environments? An exploratory analysis of the relationship between greenspace and health. Environ Plann A: Econ Space. 2003;35(10):1717–31.CrossRef
18.
Mytton OT, Townsend N, Rutter H, Foster C. Green space and physical activity: an observational study using Health Survey for England data. Health Place. 2012;18(5):1034–41.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
19.
Takano T, Nakamura K, Watanabe M. Urban residential environments and senior citizens’ longevity in megacity areas: the importance of walkable green spaces. J Epidemiol Commun Health. 2002;56(12):913.CrossRef
20.
Gong Y, Gallacher J, Palmer S, Fone D. Neighbourhood green space, physical function and participation in physical activities among elderly men: the Caerphilly prospective study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Activity. 2014;11(1):40.CrossRef
21.
Kweon B-S, Sullivan WC, Wiley AR. Green common spaces and the social integration of inner-city older adults. Environ Behav. 1998;30(6):832–58.CrossRef
22.
Finlay J, Franke T, McKay H, Sims-Gould J. Therapeutic landscapes and wellbeing in later life: impacts of blue and green spaces for older adults. Health Place. 2015;34:97–106.PubMedCrossRef
23.
24.
Renalds A, Smith TH, Hale PJ. A systematic review of built environment and health. Fam Community Health. 2010;33(1):68–78.
25.
Lord S, Després C, Ramadier T. When mobility makes sense: a qualitative and longitudinal study of the daily mobility of the elderly. J Environ Psychol. 2011;18(3):307–19.
26.
Clarke P, Twardzik E, Meade MA, Peterson MD, Tate D. Social participation among adults aging with long-term physical disability: the role of socioenvironmental factors. J Aging Health. 2019;31(10suppl):145S–68.PubMedCrossRef
27.
Levasseur M, Gauvin L, Richard L, Kestens Y, Daniel M, Payette H. Associations between perceived proximity to neighborhood resources, disability, and social participation among community-dwelling older adults: results from the VoisiNuAge Study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2011;92(12):1979–86.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
28.
Richard L, Gauvin L, Kestens Y, Shatenstein B, Payette H, Daniel M, Moore S, Levasseur M, Mercille G. Neighborhood resources and social participation among older adults: results from the VoisiNuage Study. J Aging Health. 2012;25(2):296–318.PubMedCrossRef
29.
Levasseur M, Généreux M, Bruneau J-F, Vanasse A, Chabot É, Beaulac C, Bédard M-M. Importance of proximity to resources, social support, transportation and neighborhood security for mobility and social participation in older adults: results from a scoping study. BMC Public Health. 2015;15(1):503.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
30.
Statistics Canada. In the midst of high job vacancies and historically low unemployment, Canada faces record retirements from an aging labour force: number of seniors aged 65 and older grows six times faster than children 0–14. In. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada; 2022.
31.
Statistics Canada. Population growth in Canada’s rural areas. Census brief. Ottawa: Ministry of Industry; 2022.
32.
Dandy K, Bollman RD. Seniors in rural Canada. Agriculture Division, Statistics Canada Ottawa, ON; 2009.
33.
Neville S, Napier S, Adams J, Wham C, Jackson D. An integrative review of the factors related to building age-friendly rural communities. J Clin Nurs. 2016;25(17–18):2402–12.PubMedCrossRef
34.
Levasseur M, Naud D, Bruneau J-F, Généreux M. Environmental characteristics associated with older adults’ social participation: the contribution of sociodemography and transportation in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(22):8399.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
35.
Lavergne MR, Kephart G. Examining variations in health within rural Canada. Rural Remote Health. 2012;12(1):34–46.
36.
Raina PS, Wolfson C, Kirkland SA, Griffith LE, Oremus M, Patterson C, et al. The Canadian longitudinal study on aging (CLSA). Can J Aging. 2009;28(3):221–9.PubMedCrossRef
37.
Kirkland SA, Griffith LE, Menec V, Wister A, Payette H, Wolfson C, Raina PS. Mining a unique canadian resource: the Canadian longitudinal study on aging. Can J Aging. 2015;34(3):366–77.PubMedCrossRef
38.
Raina P, Wolfson C, Kirkland S, Griffith LE, Balion C, Cossette B, et al. Cohort profile: the Canadian longitudinal study on aging (CLSA). Int J Epidemiol. 2019;48(6):1752–3.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
39.
40.
Ahn M, Kang J, Kwon HJ. The concept of aging in place as intention. Gerontologist. 2020;60(1):50–9.PubMed
41.
Harasemiw O, Newall N, Shooshtari S, Mackenzie C, Menec V. From social integration to social isolation: the relationship between social network types and perceived availability of social support in a national sample of older Canadians. Res Aging. 2018;40(8):715–39.PubMedCrossRef
42.
Taylor R, Conway L, Calderwood L, Lessof C, Cheshire H, Cox K, Scholes S. Health, wealth and lifestyles of the older population in England: the 2002 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Technical Report. London: Institute of Fiscal Studies; 2007.
43.
Naud D, Levasseur M. Social participation and environmental barriers among aging Canadians: Distribution and differences in gender, age and location. In: Social Isolation, Participation and Impact on Mental Health edn. Edited by Rowe KT: Nova Publishers; 2015: 1–26.
44.
Statistics Canada: Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). 2006, Volume II Reference Maps, Catolgue No 12–572/Statistical Area Classification by Census Subdivisions, 2006 Reference Map, Catalogue No 92-143-XIB. In. Ottawa, ON, Canada; 2006.
45.
Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Data support document. Urban/Rural Classif In; 2018: 1–3.
46.
Nelson KS, Nguyen TD, Brownstein NA, Garcia D, Walker HC, Watson JT, Xin A. Definitions, measures, and uses of rurality: a systematic review of the empirical and quantitative literature. J Rural Stud. 2021;82:351–65.CrossRef
47.
48.
Berkman LF, Glass T, Brissette I, Seeman TE. From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium. Soc Sci Med. 2000;51(6):843–57.PubMedCrossRef
49.
50.
Griffith LE, Raina P, Levasseur M, Sohel N, Payette H, Tuokko H, van den Heuvel E, Wister A, Gilsing A, Patterson C. Functional disability and social participation restriction associated with chronic conditions in middle-aged and older adults. J Epidemiol Commun Health. 2016;0:1–9.
51.
Fillenbaum GG, Smyer MA. The development, validity, and reliability of the OARS multidimensional functional assessment questionnaire. J Gerontol. 1981;36(4):428–34.PubMedCrossRef
52.
Andresen EM, Malmgren JA, Carter WB, Patrick DL. Screening for depression in well older adults: evaluation of a short form of the CES-D. Preventative Med. 1994;10(2):77–84.CrossRef
53.
Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: CLSA Technical Document. Sampling and Computation of Response Rates and Sample Weights for the Tracking (Telephone Interview) Participants and Comprehensive Participants. In., version 1.1 edn. 2017: 1–35.
54.
Hosmer DW Jr, Lemeshow S, Sturdivant RX. Applied Logistic Regression. Volume 398, 3rd ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons; 2013.CrossRef
55.
56.
StataCorp. Stata Statistical Software: Release 17. In. College Station. TX: StataCorp LCC; 2021.
57.
Granbom M, Iwarsson S, Kylberg M, Pettersson C, Slaug B. A public health perspective to environmental barriers and accessibility problems for senior citizens living in ordinary housing. BMC Public Health. 2016;16(1):772.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
58.
Morales E, Rousseau J. Which areas of the home pose most difficulties for adults with motor disabilities? Phys Occup Therapy Geriatr. 2010;28(2):103–16.CrossRef
59.
Institute of Medicine. Promoting health: interventions strategies from social and behavioral research. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2000.
60.
Townsend BG, Chen JTH, Wuthrich VM. Barriers and facilitators to social participation in older adults: a systematic literature review. Clin Gerontologist. 2021;44(4):359–80.CrossRef
61.
Glass TA, Balfour JL. Neighborhoods, aging, and functional limitations. In: Neighborhoods and Health. Volume 1, edn. Edited by Kawachi I, Berkman LF. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003: 303–334.
62.
Hansen AY, Umstattd Meyer MR, Lenardson JD, Hartley D. Built environments and active living in rural and remote areas: a review of the literature. Curr Obes Rep. 2015;4(4):484–93.PubMedCrossRef
63.
Mahler M, Sarvimaki A, Clancy A, Stenbock-Hult B, Simonsen N, Liveng A, Ziden L, Johannessen A, Horder H. Home as a health promotion setting for older adults. Scand J Public Health. 2014;42(15 Suppl):36–40.PubMedCrossRef
64.
Goll JC, Charlesworth G, Scior K, Stott J. Barriers to social participation among lonely older adults: the influence of social fears and identity. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(2):e0116664.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
65.
66.
Schwarzbach M, Luppa M, Forstmeier S, König H-H, Riedel-Heller SG. Social relations and depression in late life—A systematic review. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014;29(1):1–21.PubMedCrossRef
67.
Won J, Lee C, Forjuoh SN, Ory MG. Neighborhood safety factors associated with older adults’ health-related outcomes: a systematic literature review. Soc Sci Med. 2016;165:177–86.PubMedCrossRef
68.
Foster S, Giles-Corti B. The built environment, neighborhood crime and constrained physical activity: an exploration of inconsistent findings. Prev Med. 2008;47(3):241–51.PubMedCrossRef
69.
Ferdinand AO, Sen B, Rahurkar S, Engler S, Menachemi N. The relationship between built environments and physical activity: a systematic review. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(10):e7–e13.PubMedCrossRef
70.
Barnett DW, Barnett A, Nathan A, Van Cauwenberg J, Cerin E. Built environmental correlates of older adults’ total physical activity and walking: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Activity. 2017;14(1):103.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Social participation of older people in urban and rural areas: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Authors
C. Allyson Jones
Gian S. Jhangri
Shelby S. Yamamoto
David B. Hogan
Heather Hanson
Mélanie Levasseur
Ernesto Morales
France Légaré
Publication date
01-12-2023
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Geriatrics / Issue 1/2023
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2318
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04127-2

Other articles of this Issue 1/2023

BMC Geriatrics 1/2023 Go to the issue

Research

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use in older population: comparison of the Finnish Meds75+ database with eight published criteria

Research

Quality of life and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: associations with loneliness and social isolation in a cross-sectional, online survey of 2,207 community-dwelling older Canadians

Research

Possible sarcopenia and risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus in older adults in China: a 7-year longitudinal cohort study

Research

Sex differences in changes of depressive symptoms among older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from two longitudinal cohorts

Study protocol

Implementing A person-centred CommunicaTION (ACTION) educational intervention for in-home nursing assistants – a study protocol

Research

Association between health-related quality of life and heart rate variability in elderly individuals with cognitive impairment in Korea: cross-sectional study
Live Webinar | 27-06-2024 | 18:00 (CEST)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Reserve your place

Live: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

WHO estimates that half of all patients worldwide are non-adherent to their prescribed medication. The consequences of poor adherence can be catastrophic, on both the individual and population level.

Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.

Prof. Kevin Dolgin
Prof. Florian Limbourg
Prof. Anoop Chauhan
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Obesity Clinical Trial Summary

At a glance: The STEP trials

Read more

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.

Developed by: Springer Medicine
Image Credits