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How older people as pedestrians perceive the outdoor environment – methodological issues derived from studies in two European countries

Wennberg, Hanna LU ; Phillips, Judith LU and Ståhl, Agneta LU (2018) In Ageing and Society 38(12). p.2435-2467
Abstract

This paper has re-analysed and compared data between three studies conducted in the United Kingdom and in Sweden (the OPUS ‘Older People's Use of Unfamiliar Space’ study in the United Kingdom and the Swedish studies ‘Let's Go for a Walk’ and ‘Walking in Old Age’) to provide a comprehensive account of the issues facing older people in the outdoor environment. All three studies draw on the ‘fit’ between the person and their environment as a guiding conceptual base – capturing the dynamics of the relationship between older people's personal needs and their wider environmental context. This common conceptual base allowed us to test theory against practice, and to explore the utility of this concept across different geographical contexts.... (More)

This paper has re-analysed and compared data between three studies conducted in the United Kingdom and in Sweden (the OPUS ‘Older People's Use of Unfamiliar Space’ study in the United Kingdom and the Swedish studies ‘Let's Go for a Walk’ and ‘Walking in Old Age’) to provide a comprehensive account of the issues facing older people in the outdoor environment. All three studies draw on the ‘fit’ between the person and their environment as a guiding conceptual base – capturing the dynamics of the relationship between older people's personal needs and their wider environmental context. This common conceptual base allowed us to test theory against practice, and to explore the utility of this concept across different geographical contexts. Participatory research was also applied, highlighting the importance of the voice of older people and involving older people in research. The studies also used a mixed-method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. The paper highlights that although not generalisable, you can compare cross-locales and cross-nationally using different methodology; it investigates the challenges of cross-national comparative analysis and draws on findings from the three studies to illustrate the different challenges and solutions and finally looks at lessons that are transferable.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cross-national comparison, mixed-method research, older people, participatory research, urban design, walking
in
Ageing and Society
volume
38
issue
12
pages
2435 - 2467
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85026538157
  • pmid:30636821
ISSN
0144-686X
DOI
10.1017/S0144686X17000666
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
fa4f5832-7a62-4afb-90e6-755be85bfac0
date added to LUP
2018-01-24 09:49:51
date last changed
2024-04-29 03:01:36
@article{fa4f5832-7a62-4afb-90e6-755be85bfac0,
  abstract     = {{<p>This paper has re-analysed and compared data between three studies conducted in the United Kingdom and in Sweden (the OPUS ‘Older People's Use of Unfamiliar Space’ study in the United Kingdom and the Swedish studies ‘Let's Go for a Walk’ and ‘Walking in Old Age’) to provide a comprehensive account of the issues facing older people in the outdoor environment. All three studies draw on the ‘fit’ between the person and their environment as a guiding conceptual base – capturing the dynamics of the relationship between older people's personal needs and their wider environmental context. This common conceptual base allowed us to test theory against practice, and to explore the utility of this concept across different geographical contexts. Participatory research was also applied, highlighting the importance of the voice of older people and involving older people in research. The studies also used a mixed-method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. The paper highlights that although not generalisable, you can compare cross-locales and cross-nationally using different methodology; it investigates the challenges of cross-national comparative analysis and draws on findings from the three studies to illustrate the different challenges and solutions and finally looks at lessons that are transferable.</p>}},
  author       = {{Wennberg, Hanna and Phillips, Judith and Ståhl, Agneta}},
  issn         = {{0144-686X}},
  keywords     = {{cross-national comparison; mixed-method research; older people; participatory research; urban design; walking}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  pages        = {{2435--2467}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Ageing and Society}},
  title        = {{How older people as pedestrians perceive the outdoor environment – methodological issues derived from studies in two European countries}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X17000666}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S0144686X17000666}},
  volume       = {{38}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}