Age and retirement status differences in associations between the built environment and active travel behaviour

Abstract

Background: Transport walking and transit use provide opportunities to achieve health-enhancing activity levels within daily routines. Transit access and neighbourhood walkability may influence how readily adults engage in active travel and, ultimately, whether they will. Thus, we aimed to examine associations between Walk Score® and Transit Score® and transit use and transport walking, and to determine whether associations differed across age groups and retirement status. Methods: We linked data for Canadian Community Health Survey Healthy Aging Cycle (2008/2009) respondents (aged ≥45 years) from British Columbia (N=3860) to objectively-measured walkability and transit access. We used logistic regression to examine associations between built environment measures and transport walking and using transit in the past month. We tested whether age group and retirement status were significant moderators of the relation between the built environment and active travel. Results: A 10-point higher Walk Score was associated with 34% higher odds of walking for transport (OR=1.34; 95%CI: 1.23,1.47) and 28% higher odds of using transit (OR=1.28; 95%CI: 1.17,1.40). A 10-point higher Transit Score was associated with 37% higher odds of walking for transport (OR=1.37; 95%CI: 1.18,1.60) and 40% higher odds of transit use (OR=1.40; 95%CI: 1.22,1.59). Furthermore, those in neighbourhoods with Excellent Transit/Rider׳s Paradise had over three-and-a-half times higher odds of walking for transport and three times higher odds of using transit than those in neighbourhoods with Minimal Transit/Some Transit (p<0.005). Stronger associations were observed between Transit Score and active transport among older age groups and between Walk Score and transport walking among those not retired. Conclusions: Transit accessibility and walkability can support active travel behaviour in middle-aged and older adults. Transit access may be especially important in older age groups and walkability may be especially important for middle-aged and older adults who are still working.