An Audit of a Diverse Community for Safe Routes to Age in Place Environmental Policy Implications Adriana Perez, Phd, ANP-BC, FAAN; Anamarie Garces, MPH; Rebecca H
Public Policy An Audit of a Diverse Community for Safe Routes to Age in Place Environmental Policy Implications Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN; Anamarie Garces, MPH; Rebecca H. Hunter, MEd; and David X. Marquez, PhD ABSTRACT Physical and cognitive limitations of- ten accompany aging, increasing the importance of a safe and supportive environment to help older adults maintain mobility. Neighborhood design and maintenance must be evaluated to promote physical activ- ity, mobility, and safety. Audit tools, geographic information system data, and resident interviews are used for this purpose, but often fail to provide information that can be translated to practice. The current project is part of a larger Miami-Dade Age-Friendly Ini- tiative to create a metropolitan area that fosters a healthy environment for diverse adults of all ages and abili- ties. Safe Routes uses a toolkit based on the 5-E model providing practical © 2015 Shutterstock.com/kamira resources to guide stakeholders in ABOUT THE AUTHORS meeting the needs of the commu- Dr. Perez is Assistant Professor and Southwest Boarderlands Scholar, College of Nurs- nity. Findings include the Centers ing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona; Ms. Garces is Partner, Urban Health Solutions LLC, and Executive Director, Urban Health Partner- for Disease Control Healthy Aging ships, Inc., Miami, Florida; Dr. Hunter is Research Associate, University of North Carolina Research Network Audit Tool assess- Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Dr. Marquez is Associate Professor, Depart- ment for environmental walkability ment of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
[Show full text]