Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Healthy You
    • Job listings
    • Q&As
    • Special sections
  • Multimedia
    • Quiz
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • FAQs
    • Advertising
    • Subscriptions
    • For APHA members
    • Internships
    • Change of address
  • About
    • About The Nation's Health
    • Submissions
    • Permissions
    • Purchase articles
    • Join APHA
  • Contact us
    • Feedback
  • APHA
    • AJPH
    • NPHW

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
The Nation's Health
  • APHA
    • AJPH
    • NPHW
  • My alerts
The Nation's Health

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Healthy You
    • Job listings
    • Q&As
    • Special sections
  • Multimedia
    • Quiz
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • FAQs
    • Advertising
    • Subscriptions
    • For APHA members
    • Internships
    • Change of address
  • About
    • About The Nation's Health
    • Submissions
    • Permissions
    • Purchase articles
    • Join APHA
  • Contact us
    • Feedback
  • Follow The Nation's Health on Twitter
  • Follow APHA on Twitter
  • Visit APHA on Facebook
  • Follow APHA on Youtube
  • Follow APHA on Instagram
  • Follow The Nation's Health RSS feeds
NewsWeb-only News

Walkability tied to better mental health among Hispanic seniors, study finds

Kim Krisberg
The Nation's Health January 2015, 44 (10) E53;
Kim Krisberg
  • Search for this author on this site

Senior Hispanic adults who perceive their neighborhoods as safer — and thus, more walkable — are also less likely to experience depressive symptoms, according to a study published online in October in the Journal of Aging and Health.

With previous research finding that senior Hispanics face both higher risks for depression as well as greater barriers to treatment, the study’s findings highlight an additional way to positively impact mental health among an already vulnerable population, said study co-author Rosalba Hernandez, PhD, an assistant professor within the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To conduct the study, Hernandez and her colleagues interviewed Hispanic adults ages 60 and older who were participating in a physical activity intervention at 27 senior centers in the Los Angeles area. Interview data was collected at the start of the study, one year later and at the 24-month mark.

“We had (previously) focused on depressive symptoms and individual factors,” Hernandez told The Nation’s Health. “This time, we were interested in finding other macrosystems that can inform someone’s psychological well-being and if there’s something we can do in a larger context that can alleviate mental health problems, particularly in a population that has a lot of stigma around mental health.”

Among the 570-person study sample, researchers found that nearly 28 percent screened positive for elevated depressive symptoms at the beginning of the study. However, study participants that perceived their neighborhoods as having lower rates of crime and thus greater walkability were at lower odds of experiencing elevated depressive symptoms. Higher walkability scores were also “marginally” associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms.

Overall, Hernandez said the study suggests an association between neighborhood walkability and lower incidence of elevated depressive symptoms among senior Hispanics, though she said more research is needed. She added that the physical activity intervention in which the study participants were enrolled might have positively affected mental well-being as well. The study also noted that older age, lower educational attainment and higher acculturation were significantly associated with a higher risk of experiencing elevated depressive symptoms. Among the study sample, about 59 percent had less than or equal to an eighth-grade education, of which about 14 percent had no formal schooling, and just more than 80 percent had incomes below $20,000.

“Further research is needed to see what exactly are the components (that lead to healthier psychological well-being) and what are the mechanisms through which older Hispanic adults feel safer and less isolated,” Hernandez said. “This kind of research may give us a hint as to how to invest in the environment to potentially impact mental health.”

The study authors noted that their findings may help build support for public health interventions aimed at heightening neighborhood safety. Hernandez said the findings also contribute to discussions on how to best serve a population already struggling with significant disparities in health and access to care.

“Hopefully, people will start thinking about how they can incorporate the environmental piece,” she said. “How can we stretch the dollar and still have an impact on a vulnerable community?”

To learn more about the study, visit http://jah.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/10/01/0898264314553211.abstract.

  • Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Nation's Health: 44 (10)
The Nation's Health
Vol. 44, Issue 10
January 2015
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Complete Issue (PDF)

Healthy You

Healthy You

Print
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article
We do not capture any email addresses.
Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Walkability tied to better mental health among Hispanic seniors, study finds
(Your Name) has sent you a message from The Nation's Health
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this item on The Nation's Health website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Walkability tied to better mental health among Hispanic seniors, study finds
Kim Krisberg
The Nation's Health January 2015, 44 (10) E53;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Walkability tied to better mental health among Hispanic seniors, study finds
Kim Krisberg
The Nation's Health January 2015, 44 (10) E53;
del.icio.us logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
Tweet Widget Facebook Like LinkedIn logo

Jump to section

  • Top

More in this TOC Section

  • Newsmakers: May 2025
  • Newsmakers: April 2015
  • Newsmakers: February/March 2025
Show more Web-only News

Subjects

  • Community Health

Popular features

  • Healthy You
  • Special sections
  • Q&As
  • Quiz
  • Podcasts

FAQs

  • Advertising
  • Subscriptions
  • For APHA members
  • Submissions
  • Change of address

APHA

  • Join APHA
  • Annual Meeting
  • NPHW
  • AJPH
  • Get Ready
  • Contact APHA
  • Privacy policy

© 2025 The Nation's Health

Powered by HighWire