Transcript Jan Garrard Presentation

Senior Victorians and walking:
Obstacles and opportunities
Dr Jan Garrard
Active Transport Consultant
Walking across the life
course…
“Walking is the first thing an infant wants to
do and the last thing an older person wants
to give up.”
(International Charter for Walking, Walk 21,
October 2006).
Summary and full report available from Victoria Walks:
http://www.victoriawalks.org.au/Assets/Files/FINALSenio
rsFullReport.pdf
Study components
1. Desktop literature review
2. Analysis of walking data (VISTA) for
Victorian seniors
3. Eight focus group discussions with
senior Victorians
4. Survey of senior Victorians (N = 1128)
This presentation
 Draws on selected findings from the four study
components covering:
 Health and social benefits of physical
activity/walking for older adults
 Senior Victorians’ walking behaviour
 Supports and constraints on seniors’ walking
 Creating supportive environments for seniors’
walking
Why promote seniors’ walking?
(i) Higher risk of chronic diseases associated with physical
inactivity
35
30
Percentage
25
Heart Disease(males)
Heart Disease (females)
Diabetes (males)
Diabetes (females)
Cancer (males)
Cancer (females)
20
15
10
5
0
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
75 +
Proportions of Australians with heart disease, diabetes and cancer
(Source: ABS 2012)
(ii) (many!) more seniors...
Historical and projected age profile of the Australian population
(Source: CSIRO, 2010, Global Megatrends, Australian Business Foundation Event, 21 July,
2010; based on ABS data)
(iii) Who are less active
100
90
Adequately active (%)
80
70
60
67
67
64
50
60
54
40
42
30
20
10
0
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Physical activity levels (adequately active) by age, Victoria, 2010
(Source: Victorian Population Health Survey)
Never too old to be active...
“Move more often every day”
(British Heart Foundation 2012)
•
•
•
•
Recent activity is the key
Maintaining activity into older age
Getting sedentary individuals active
Benefits outweigh the risks
Walking: senior Victorians’ preferred form of
physical activity (ABS 2012)
45
Participants (%)
40
Cycling/BMXing
Fitness/Gym
Jogging/Running
Swimming/Diving
Walking for exercise
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
15–17
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55–64
65 and over
Walking for transport

Has all of the health benefits of moderate
intensity physical activity and more:
* Health, environmental, transport and community
liveability benefits of reduced car use
* An ‘incidental’ form of physical activity (PA) for
people who might otherwise be sedentary
* A more socially inclusive form of PA than leisuretime physical activity
Creating supportive environments for transport
walking – an investment in health equity
(Source: National Health Survey, ABS 103)
100
Average minutes per week
90
80
70
First quintile
60
Second quintile
50
Third quintile
40
Fourth quintile
30
Fifth quintile
20
10
0
Walking for
transport
Walking for fitness,
recreation or sport
Moderate
Vigorous
The first quintile refers to the most disadvantaged 20% of areas in Australia, and the fifth
quintile refers to the most advantaged 20% of areas in Australia based on the ABS SEIFA Index)
Understanding and supporting seniors’
walking
Physical
environment
(natural and built)
Policy/regulatory
environment
Walking for
recreation and
transport
Social/cultural
environment
Intra-personal
factors

Focus on intra-personal factors
(particularly ‘functional decline’) has
detracted from other determinants of
older adults’ walking, particularly
environmental factors
Proportion of trips by walking, age 65 years
and over: international comparative data
Proportion of tripsby walking (%)
40
35
30
34
28
25
20
21
15
14
10
5
0
Germany
Netherlands Denmark (70-85
years)
Victoria
And within Victoria...
Proportion of trips by walking for seniors and the overall adult population
by metropolitan Melbourne LGA (Source: VISTA 2009-10)
35
Walking trips (adults 20+ ytears) (%)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Walking trips (seniors 60+ years) (%)
35
40
What are the obstacles to more
senior Victorians walking?
It’s not about attitudes
“…the last thing an older person wants to
give up.”
(Source: Focus Group Discussions)
“Basic to people – it’s not one of those superficial
things.”
“I can’t imagine not doing it – it’s part and parcel
of my life.”
“It would be terrible – stuck all day at home!”
“I value my walking very much...I don’t know
what I would do. 11 out of 10 – that’s how
important it is!”
Or distances seniors are able and
prepared to walk
(Source: VISTA 2009-10)


Senior Victorians (60+ years) walk an average of 0.5 (walkonly) trips a day
Mean walking trip distance:



Walking trip distance by age (not statistically significant):




1.0km for 60-69 years
0.9km for 70-79 years
0.7 for 80 years or over
Mean walking trip time:



0.9km (seniors)
0.9 km (Victorians aged 20+)
13.7 minutes (seniors)
12.5 minutes (all adults aged 20 years and over)
Supportive environments for walking in general
seniors walking
more
Reasons for walking for recreation, exercise or to get to places
(0 = No, not important; 1 = Yes, somewhat important; 2 = Yes, moderately
important; 3 = Yes, very important)
(Source: Seniors’ Walking Survey)
To improve or maintain my health
2.4
Staying fit so I can look after myself
2.4
Getting out in the fresh air
2.1
Walking makes me feel good
2.1
To get around independently
2.0
Getting out and about in the neighbourhood
1.8
Interesting/attractive walking routes/destinations
1.7
Walking has become a habit for me
1.6
Seeing or chatting with people along the way
1.3
Walking is more enjoyable than driving
1.3
I enjoy walking with other people
1.3
To get to public transport
0.9
Taking the dog for a walk
0.8
Because I don't drive a car
0.3
0.0
1.0
2.0
Mean score
3.0
Recreational/transport walking by age
(Source: Seniors walking survey)
% in age group walking >1 hr/week
80
70
76
75
64
60
50
40
50
40
Recreational walking
38
30
Transport walking
20
10
0
60-69
70-79
Age
80+
Seniors’ walking destinations by age
(Source: VISTA 2009-10)
60
60-69
54
50
70-79
Percent of trips
80+
44
40
All seniors
40
36
30
31 31
29
27
20
19
16
19
17
10
10
1
0
Buy something
Social/recreational Personal business
0
6
Work related
Trip purpose
4
2
3
3
Pick-up/deliver
something
2
4
0
2
Serve passenger
Constraints on seniors’ walking:
walking environments and the behaviour of other
road/path users
(Source: Seniors’ Walking Survey)
Dogs that are off-leash or not under control
Poorly-maintained footpaths (uneven, sloping, slippery or
dirty)
Poorly lit footpaths
Drivers failing to give way to pedestrians when they are
supposed to
Bicycle riders on shared walking and cycling paths
Not enough public toilets
No footpaths on streets or roads
Obstructions on footpaths
Not enough resting places (eg seats)
Footpaths that are too narrow
Moderate or major constraint (%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Factors impacting on feelings of safety while walking
(Source: Seniors Walking Survey)
(0 = No, wouldn’t make me feel any safer; 1 = Yes, a bit safer; 2 = Yes, moderately safer;
3 = Yes, much safer)
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
Better cyclist behaviour on shared paths
1.7
Reduce cycling speed on shared paths
1.5
More emphasis on pedestrian safety in
driver education
1.4
More policing of drivers yielding rules
1.2
40 km/h speed zones in local shopping
centres
1.1
Traffic alming in residential areas
1.0
40 km/h speed zones in residential areas
Attend a safe walking course
1.6
0.9
0.5
1.8
Additional walking needs for senior
Victorians
 Make walking:
 Attractive
 Interesting and attractive routes and destinations
(including for utility trips)
 Comfortable
 Shelter (from weather, including shade), seating,
public toilets
 Appealing
 Access to shops, services and public transport
 Safe
 Traffic-related injuries
 Fall injuries
Pedestrian fatalities by age, Victoria, 2003-2012
(Source: TAC Online Crash Database 2012)
160
148
Number of fatalities
140
120
100
80
60
67
40
60
64
49
44
38
20
0
0-20
21-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
Age (years)
60-69
70+
Are older pedestrians risky road users?
Risky road users?
(Source: Michael Nieuwesteeg, Allison McIntyre. “Exploring the pedestrian crash
problem from the perspective of injured pedestrians”. Australasian Road Safety
Research, Policing and Education Conference, 31 August-3 September, 2010, Canberra)
Pedestrians aged 16-39
Pedestrians aged 60+
% of crashes
% of crashes
Pedestrian crossing road
71%
79%
Crossing intersection
35%
46%
Crossing mid-block
34%
27%
Crossing roundabout
3%
7%
29%
21%
Crash type
Pedestrian not crossing road
TAC survey, pedestrians aged between 16 and 39 years (n = 110) and pedestrians aged
60 years plus (n = 90), pedestrians injured in crashes in 40, 50 and 60 km/h speed
zones in Victoria in 2008.
Who was at fault?
(younger and older age groups combined)
Driver only
Pedestrian
only
Both parties
Unclear
Crossing at
intersection
79%
10%
5%
6%
Crossing mid-block
44%
30%
3%
23%
Older pedestrians: more ‘careless’ than
younger pedestrians?
Issue
16-39
years
60+ years
Pedestrian at fault
Heavy or congested traffic
Poor light conditions
Raining
Tired/fatigued
Stressed/anxious
Distracted
Impaired by alcohol
Impaired by drugs
Impaired mobility
34%
23%
46%
8%
15%
14%
23%
25%
0%
NA
12%
10%
26%
11%
3%
2%
2%
3%
NA
8%
‘At-risk’ rather than ‘risk-taking’





Reduced motor, sensory and cognitive abilities which, together with
increased frailty, can increase the risk of pedestrian injury (GOAL
Consortium 2012); BUT
Older adults are more cautious and law-abiding pedestrians than
younger age groups.
They are not risk-takers, but rather at-risk from the environment
they move about in.
Because they are generally careful pedestrians, unexpected incidents
(eg cyclists overtaking closely at high speed, unleashed dogs) cause
considerable concern, though actual risk of injury is low.
Fall injuries are a greater risk for older adults than younger adults indications from the study that fall injuries are a greater concern for
older adults than traffic injury risks.
Fall injuries among older adults using the
public road system




Less is known about the causes of fall injuries while
walking in public spaces than traffic collision injuries
Probably outnumber collision injuries by at least a factor
of two
‘Trade-off’ between avoiding fall injury or traffic injury (eg
gaze directed at walking surface rather than traffic when
crossing roads)
Combination of individual (functional) and environmental
factors:





Lack of footpaths
Poorly designed and/or maintained footpaths
Road crossings (placement, design, road user behaviours)
Shared paths (design and users – cyclists, other pedestrians,
uncontrolled dogs)
Older pedestrians require a Safe System of safer roads,
vehicles, speeds and road user behaviours
Average annual percentage change in fatalities
by road user group, 2002-2011
4
3
2.40
2
1
Drivers
Passengers
Pedestrians
0
Cyclists
-1
-0.90
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
0.1
-2.8
-3.5
-4.00
-4.2
Victoria
Australia
-5.00
(Source: BITRE 2012; Victoria Walks - http://www.victoriawalks.org.au/)
Summary:
Supporting older adults to do what they want to do
 Many seniors want to walk, for a range of reasons, thus
providing multiple motivators:
• Health, independence, mobility, social connectedness,
community engagement
 Create supportive environments:
• Access to shops, services and public transport via
walking networks and infrastructure that are safe and
perceived to be safe from traffic, falls and assault.
 Variations in seniors’ walking rates by LGA in
metropolitan Melbourne demonstrate that walking in
local neighbourhoods will occur ‘naturally’ and
‘incidentally’ when walking is established as a feasible,
appealing, attractive, convenient, safe alternative to car
travel for short local trips.
Thank you!