How ‘age-friendly’ are rural communities and what community characteristics are related to age-friendliness? The case of rural Manitoba, Canada

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11199895
AutoresVerena H Menec, Verena Menec (0000-0003-0945-2276, University of Manitoba, autor de correspondencia), LOUISE HUTTON (University of Manitoba), Nancy E Newall (0000-0002-7731-9322, University of Manitoba), NANCY NEWALL, SCOTT NOWICKI (University of Manitoba), John Spina (University of Manitoba), DAWN VESELYUK, DAWN M VESELYUK (University of Manitoba)
Año2015
Volumen35
Número1
Páginas203-223
Fecha de publicación2015-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x13000627
OpenAlexW2027555128
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas36
Referencias citadas37

Since the World Health Organization introduced the concept of ‘age-friendly’ communities in 2006, there has been rapidly growing interest in making communities more age-friendly on the part of policy makers world-wide. There is a paucity of research to date, however, that has examined age-friendliness in diverse communities, particularly in rural communities. The main objective of the study reported in this paper was to examine whether age-friendliness varies across community characteristics, such as a population size. The study was based on surveys administered in 56 communities throughout Manitoba, a mid-Western Canadian province, in the context of a needs assessment process for communities that are part of the Age-Friendly Manitoba Initiative. A total of 1,373 individuals completed a survey developed to measure age-friendliness. Domains included the physical environment; housing options; the social environment; opportunities for participation; community supports and health-care services; transportation options; and communication and information. Community characteristics were derived from census data. Multi-level regression analysis indicated that the higher the percentage of residents aged 65 or older, the higher the ratings of age-friendliness overall and, specifically, ratings of the social environment, opportunities for participation, and communication and information. Moreover, small communities located within a census metropolitan area and remote communities in the far north of the province emerged as having the lowest age-friendliness ratings. These findings suggest that communities are generally responsive to the needs of their older residents. That different results were obtained for the various age-friendly domains underscores the importance of considering age-friendliness in a holistic way and measuring it in terms of a range of community features. Our study further highlights the importance of differentiating between degrees of rurality, as different patterns emerged for communities of different sizes and proximity to a larger urban centre

American Community Survey · Census · Context (archaeology) · Environmental health · Geography · Metropolitan area · Population · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Gerontology