Articles
Where should we take a morning walk? Walking environments and blood pressure levels of older adults in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Article number
1455_8
Pages
69 – 76
Language
English
Abstract
As the older population increases across the world, designers, planners, and decision makers across each country should work to develop environments suitable for the lifestyle of older adults in their locale.
Questions regarding the extent to which walking environments impact human health, especially older adults, are still being explored.
In this study, 59 older adults were randomly assigned to three different walking environments across Chiang Mai, Thailand: the city moat, an agricultural field, and a city park.
They walked for 30 min in early morning (7:30 am) during the outdoor season of Thailand.
They were also asked to answer an on-site questionnaire and take photos every 10 min during their walks.
After the walk, their systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured.
The results from each site were compared using ANOVA and t-tests, along with photographs and description taken from the site.
The results showed that participants significantly preferred nature sites (city park and agricultural fields) more than the city moat.
Furthermore, their blood pressure was significantly lower after the walk in the agricultural fields.
Qualitative analysis suggested some design elements that might suggest these differences.
This study confirmed the hypothesis that nature has healing properties and is more preferred than urban sites for older adults.
However, the quality of design may also predict the restorativeness of nature.
More studies should be done to understand the extent to which design features of walking environments may impact health and well-being.
Questions regarding the extent to which walking environments impact human health, especially older adults, are still being explored.
In this study, 59 older adults were randomly assigned to three different walking environments across Chiang Mai, Thailand: the city moat, an agricultural field, and a city park.
They walked for 30 min in early morning (7:30 am) during the outdoor season of Thailand.
They were also asked to answer an on-site questionnaire and take photos every 10 min during their walks.
After the walk, their systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured.
The results from each site were compared using ANOVA and t-tests, along with photographs and description taken from the site.
The results showed that participants significantly preferred nature sites (city park and agricultural fields) more than the city moat.
Furthermore, their blood pressure was significantly lower after the walk in the agricultural fields.
Qualitative analysis suggested some design elements that might suggest these differences.
This study confirmed the hypothesis that nature has healing properties and is more preferred than urban sites for older adults.
However, the quality of design may also predict the restorativeness of nature.
More studies should be done to understand the extent to which design features of walking environments may impact health and well-being.
Authors
P. Suppakittpaisarn, B. Yosmeboon
Keywords
walking environments, older adults, sustainable cities, health and well-being, on-site experiment
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