GIS/GPS Methodologies to Measuring Outdoor Mobility, Environmental Context, and Healthy Aging

Friday, November 10, 2023

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: Room 307

Chair(s)

Christina Roecke, PhD (she/her/hers)

Co-Director and Research Group Leader
Healthy Longevity Center
University of Zurich
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Slides

Co-Chair(s)

Minxia Luo

Postdoctoral Researcher
University Research Priority Program (URPP) Dynamics of Healthy Aging
University of Zurich
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Discussant(s)

Jeffrey Kaye, MD

Professor
Department of Neurology
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, Oregon, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

Terry Lum, PhD

Professor
Department of Social Work and Social Administration
The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Slides
Minxia Luo

Postdoctoral Researcher
University Research Priority Program (URPP) Dynamics of Healthy Aging
University of Zurich
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Eleftheria Giannouli, PhD (she/her/hers)

Post-Doc Researcher
Department of Health Sciences and Technology
ETH Zurich
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

There has been increasingly more interest in using GIS/GPS methodologies in healthy aging research, but insufficient consideration of the latest developments in this area. This symposium showcases recent studies using GIS/GPS methodologies to measure outdoor mobility and environmental context across different countries, including one long-term longitudinal study and three micro-longitudinal studies. Specifically, Lum and colleagues examine a four-year survey from over 2,000 older adults in Hong Kong. They show that public open space (including its accessibility, its number of leisure facility types, and social interactions happened therein) was not only associated with functional ability cross-sectionally, but also with the decline of functional ability over time. Perchoux and colleagues collect seven days data from 471 older adults in Luxembourg. They show that built environments (such as higher street connectivity and lower density of parking lots) were associated with lower total sedentary time. Luo and colleagues examine data from a 15-day study with 109 older adults in Switzerland. They show that characteristics of neighborhood walkability (including higher street connectivity, more access to places for walking and cycling, and lower mixture of land use) strengthens the positive associations between daily out-of-home mobility and daily working memory performance. Giannouli and colleagues present their project of a mobile app for early detection of mobility impairments. Through two one-week studies, they demonstrate the reliability, validity, and usability of their app as a tool to assess walking speed and life-space mobility of older adults. Finally, Jeffrey A. Kaye will discuss all papers from a healthy aging perspective.

Learning Objectives:

After attending this session, participants will have learned about mobile (sensing) applications and public open space data as examples of GIS/GPS methods to assess environmental context characteristics in the relation between mobility, activity and health in ageing.
After attending this session, participants will have learned about the role that different mobility parameters and characteristics play for different indicators of health in later life, both concurrently in daily life as well as more long-term.

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Understanding the Long-Term Effects of Public Open Space on Older Adults' Functional Ability and Mental Health
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Terry Lum, PhD – The University of Hong Kong
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Out-of-Home Mobility, Daily Working Memory, and Neighborhood Walkability in Healthy Older Adults
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Minxia Luo – University of Zurich
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Usability and Psychometric Properties of the MOBITEC-GP App for Real-Life Mobility Assessment
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Eleftheria Giannouli, PhD (she/her/hers) – ETH Zurich