Rajandran, K., Md Zoqratt, M.Z.H., Shee, D.Z.R., Lukic, Rajandran et al. G.W., Tan, K., Teh, P.L., Alex, D., Kalavally, V., Lee, S.W.H., Schaefer, A.R., Jairaman, J., Wong, C.L. & Ayub, Q. (2020). Aging and urban mobility in Bandar Sunway: A holistic approach. In Proceedings of The 20th International Conference on Electronic Business (pp. 19-28). ICEB’20, Hong Kong SAR, China, December 5- 8. Aging and Urban Mobility in Bandar Sunway: A Holistic Approach (Full Paper) Kasturi Rajandran, Monash University Malaysia Genomics Facility, School of Science, Malaysia [email protected] Muhammad Zarul Hanifah Md Zoqratt, Monash University Malaysia Genomics Facility, Malaysia [email protected] Dexter Shee Zhen Rong, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Malaysia [email protected] George Woon Lukic, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia [email protected] Kristel Tan, School of Business, Gerontechnology Laboratory, Monash University Malaysia [email protected] Pei-Lee Teh, School of Business, Gerontechnology Laboratory, Monash University Malaysia [email protected] Deepa Alex, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Malaysia [email protected] Vineetha Kalavally, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia [email protected], Shaun Lee Wen Huey, School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia [email protected] Alexandre Rene Schaefer, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Malaysia [email protected] Jamuna Jairaman, Laboratory Services, Allied Health Services, Sunway Medical Centre, Malaysia [email protected] Chieh Lee Wong, Haematology Department, Sunway Medical Centre, Malaysia [email protected] Qasim Ayub, Monash University Malaysia Genomics Facility, School of Science, Malaysia [email protected]* ABSTRACT Human longevity is constantly changing the demographic outlook of the world’s population and older people are projected to double in the next 30 years from 11% to 22% of the world’s population. Malaysia is no exception and, like most western and developing nations, the number of Malaysians aged 60 years and above has been gradually rising from the 1970s onwards and is currently estimated to represent 10% of its population. This has created an urgent need to develop age-friendly cities, so that older individuals living in urban areas can have an improved life. It is important that the aging population continues to lead healthy and productive lives as far as possible. In this project, which is a work in progress, we surveyed a suburban community, aged 50 years and above, residing in Bandar Sunway and its vicinity in the state of Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. The aim was to assess their health and perceptions on mobility through targeted questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus groups and identify the factors associated with healthy aging in a holistic manner. The overall goal is to promote a healthy mind in a healthy body despite the advancing years. In the preliminary phase we surveyed 73 participants aged between 52 – 85 years and compared responses and clinical parameters for individuals below (N = 36) and ≥ 65 years (N = 37) in age. Based on their Body Mass Index (BMI), the participants were generally healthy with a normal BMI (45%) or slightly overweight (41%) with a higher BMI and blood lipid levels. There were no significant differences in the cognitive assessments between the two age groups (p = 0.945). A majority (70%) of the participants were satisfied with their lives in Bandar Sunway, but some reported several health related issues and chronic diseases. However, this was not a factor that hindered their quality of life. Older adults in Bandar Sunway still preferred driving their own vehicles instead of taking public transports. This was due to several shortfalls in the transportation systems: pricing, schedules of transport, safety, and cleanliness. Preliminary results have identified several aspects of public transportation in urban areas that can be improved to better serve the aging community. In doing so, we anticipate the findings and recommendations will be applicable to a much wider community in Malaysia and other parts of the world. The project is aligned with the theme of improving health and well-being and will provide a model for understanding and dealing with aging in the local community. Keywords: Gerontechnology, aging population, mobility, age-friendly city, health, Malaysia _____________________ *Corresponding author The 20th International Conference on Electronic Business, Hong Kong SAR, China, December 5- 8, 2020 19 Rajandran et al INTRODUCTION Population aging has been actively changing the world’s demography. With the rapid advancements in medicine and technology, life expectancy has significantly increased and is projected to continue to rise. Coupled with the declining fertility rates and the aging of the “baby boom” generation, the older population is estimated to double in numbers from 11% to 22% by 2050 (Bloom et al., 2011). Malaysia, like the rest of the world, is rapidly facing an aging population. It has been estimated that there are about 3.5 million (10.7%) individuals aged 60 and above in the country in 2020 (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2020). It is essential to ensure that the individuals in this age group continue to lead a healthy, productive, and comfortable life. Therefore, this study aimed to examine factors affecting urban mobility and healthy aging in the adult population aged 50 years and above. Healthy aging is defined as a dynamic process that facilitates wellbeing in old age, considering functional capacity as one of the core components in the health of older dwellers. Preservation, development, and rehabilitation of the functional capacity of aging people will assure them of the comfort of their daily life and routine, allowing them to live independently, even in the presence of health complications (Fogal et al., 2019). Older adults are prone to a multitude of health conditions in their lives, which comes with age and general lifestyle. Some common ailments include sensory changes like the loss of eyesight, hearing and cognitive decline. They also tend to experience loss of muscle strength and frailty. This is further enhanced if there is a lack of exercise or mobility. Chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes are also prevalent in older adults (Jaul and Barron 2017). Most older adults with a lack of physical activity and unhealthy lifestyle were found to be diabetic, which increases the risk factor for other somatic conditions, primarily cardiovascular diseases, and osteoarthritis (Kirkman et al., 2012; Odden et al., 2014). In previous studies other conditions, such as urinary incontinence, dementia and depression were found to be frequently diagnosed in older adults (Collerton et al., 2010). Mobility is important to health, even more so in older people. Moving even short distances at high frequencies daily were found to positively benefit the health of older individuals (Corran et al., 2018). Mobility disability has been correlated with the possibility of experiencing a fall. In older adults, falls occur in about 30-40% of older adults each year and are a major cause of morbidity (He et al., 2014). Urban environments present new challenges in mobility and safety for the older adults and this requires the implementation of novel measures to reduce the incidents of accidents and falls. In previous studies it has been highlighted that gender, employment status, lack of access to personal vehicles, lack of public transportations and disabilities were some of the key factors that influenced travel among older adults (Corran et al., 2018; Koh et al., 2015). One of the ways of enhancing the lives of an aging population would be to build a city that would be friendly to them. This concept was highlighted by the World Health Organisation in 2006, to improve liveability of cities for an aging population as well as residents of all ages. This initiative is a ‘place-based policy’ and its interpretation varies from place to place but essentially, with the same goal (Murray, 2014). Our current study was localised to residents aged 50 and above living in Bandar Sunway (Sunway City), a suburban area in the Petaling District of Selangor Darul Ehsan state in Peninsular Malaysia. The study aimed to investigate the key issues faced by the older dwellers living in this city, and its vicinity, in relation to the urban mobility, and assess the health and wellbeing of the older dwellers to help develop a better understanding on the gap in the current urban mobility. METHODS Study area Figure 1: Map depicting Bandar Sunway (in red box) and its surrounding area with markers indicating the participant’s residence The 20th International Conference on Electronic Business, Hong Kong SAR, China, December 5- 8, 2020 20 Rajandran et al Residents living in Bandar Sunway or its vicinity were surveyed over a three-day period in December 2019 (Figure 1). The loc ation is Malaysia’s first integrated township located in the Klang Valley in the state of Selangor Darul Ehsan and was transfor med from abandoned tin mining land. The area covers approximately 800 acres and includes a population of 200,000. The stu dy was approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (Ref #: 2020-19083-41584). Study subjects and design A total of 73 participants were recruited for this study using several means. These included placing posters at places frequented by the target group, approaching potential participants and organising a recruitment event on campus. The volunteers were then subjected to various tasks evaluating their physical health, cognition and other lifestyle aspects. These tasks were grouped into three work packages, discussed below. Work package 1 - General survey questions: Participants were required to fill in a questionnaire with several sections encompassing different aspects of this study. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of demographic information, health status of participants and their mobility and modes of travelling in the city.