Neighborhood environment, social participation, and physical activity in older adults with lower limb osteoarthritis: A mediation analysis

Florian Herbolsheimer; Nadine Ungar; Erja Portegijs; Dhayana Dallmeier; Laura Schaap; Toby Smith; Brendon Stubbs; Dorly Deeg; Richard Peter; Maria Victoria Castell; Ángel Otero; Mark Edwards; Paola Siviero; Federica Limongi; Elaine Dennison; Natasja van Schoor; Nicola Veronese; Erik J Timmermans; Suzan van der Pas

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102513

Neighborhood environment, social participation, and physical activity in older adults with lower limb osteoarthritis: A mediation analysis

Health Place. 2021 Mar:68:102513. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102513. Epub 2021 Jan 25.

Authors

Florian Herbolsheimer¹, Nadine Ungar², Erja Portegijs³, Dhayana Dallmeier⁴, Laura Schaap⁵, Toby Smith⁶, Brendon Stubbs⁷, Dorly Deeg⁸, Richard Peter⁹, Maria Victoria Castell¹⁰, Ángel Otero¹⁰, Mark Edwards¹¹, Paola Siviero¹², Federica Limongi¹², Elaine Dennison¹¹, Natasja van Schoor⁸, Nicola Veronese¹², Erik J Timmermans⁸, Suzan van der Pas¹³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: florian.herbolsheimer@alumni.uni-ulm.de.
² Institute of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Gerontology Research Center and Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland.
⁴ Research Unit on Aging, AGAPLESION Bethesda Clinic Ulm, Ulm, Germany; Dept. of Epidemiology, Boston University, School of Public Health, Boston, USA.
⁵ Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Health Sciences, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
⁶ Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.
⁷ Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Positive Ageing Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, United Kingdom.
⁸ Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
⁹ Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Unit of Primary Care and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
¹¹ MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
¹² National Research Council, Aging Branch, Institute of Neuroscience, Padova, Italy.
¹³ Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Faculty of Social Work & Applied Psychology, University of Applied Sciences Leiden, the Netherlands.

PMID: 33508711
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102513

Abstract

Older adults with lower limb osteoarthritis (LLOA) are highly dependent on their physical and social environment for being physically active. Longitudinal data from 2286 older adults (M_age = 73.8 years; 50.3% female) in six European countries were analyzed using cross-lagged Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM. In cross-sectional analyses, neighborhood resources were associated with physical activity (r = 0.26;p < .001) and social participation (r = 0.13;p = .003). Physical activity at follow-up was associated with neighborhood resources, with this relationship mediated by social participation in people with LLOA (β = 0.018;p = .013). To promote future physical activity, opportunities to socially engage in neighborhoods need to be targeted primarily to people with LLOA.

Keywords: Environmental factors; Older adults; Osteoarthritis; Physical activity; Social participation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Cross-Sectional Studies
Exercise
Female
Humans
Lower Extremity
Male
Mediation Analysis
Osteoarthritis*
Residence Characteristics
Social Participation*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding