Senior safety zones: community built environment factors around senior wellness centers.

In the January 2009 special issue of the Journal of Public Health Policy on built environment and public health, the authors have elucidated the importance of public health research to inform policy actions to preserve and improve the health of communities through collaborative, cost-effective built environment interventions. We recently studied possible policy interventions to enhance the safety of senior citizens during outdoor walking. Built environment encompasses buildings, spaces, and products created and/or modified by people. Schilling et al 2 suggest the built environment may affect the amount, type, and duration of outdoor physical activity. For susceptible, vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens, the connections between physical activity patterns and the environment pose a concern because regular exercise in a safe setting is a determinant of good health and successful aging. Prior studies have described rates of physical activity among seniors, and demonstrated activity improved mental and/or physical health. Among seniors, regular exercise can reduce the frequency and consequences of falls by increasing strength, preserving bone density, and improving balance. How are we going to improve the built environment to promote increased activity, health, and safety among seniors, who represent a growing percentage of the US population? We sought to identify real and perceived built environment factors related to the ability to walk safely near senior wellness centers in DeKalb County, Georgia. Because senior citizens have distinct abilities and needs related to physical activity, research about them has become an emerging priority in public health. Our pilot study, using the literature and our own data, focused our concept of ‘senior safety zones’ around urban senior wellness centers.