Socio-economic status, neighbourhood characteristics, and walking within the neighbourhood among older Hong Kong Chinese

Abstract

PURPOSE: We examined the associations of educational attainment and area socio-economic status (SES) with total within-neighborhood walking patterns and percentage of walking undertaken for recreation purposes in Hong Kong elders. Environmental mediators of these associations were also examined. METHODS: Chinese-speaking elders (N=484), cognitively unimpaired and able to walk unassisted, were recruited from 32 street blocks in Hong Kong. These street blocks were stratified by SES and transport-related walkability. Interviewer-administered surveys were conducted to collect data on walking and socio-demographics. Neighborhood environments were audited using a validated tool appropriate for Asian ultra-dense urban environments. RESULTS: Educational attainment was positively related to walking outcomes, while area SES was only positively related to percentage of walking allocated to recreational purposes. While no mediators of area SES-walking associations were identified, several environmental attributes explained the associations of educational attainment with walking. These included signs of crime, presence of stray dogs and physical barriers to walking. Also several environment attributes acted as correlates of the two walking outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Educational attainment rather than area SES was a key determinant of walking in Hong Kong elders. Only a few environmental characteristics explained SES differences in walking behavior, which indicated that individual and social factors may be more important in this respect within the context of Hong Kong.