The Age-friendly Cities and Counties Survey (2016) was a population-representative cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling adults aged 55+ in 21 Local Authority areas. It measured individual-level positive ageing outcomes and attributes of the local built and social environment to provide a baseline estimate of spatial and socio-economic differences in positive ageing and local factors that support positive ageing.This study examined the effect of perceptions of local area safety and accessibility of recreational spaces, on physical activity. Data was from the Age Friendly City and Counties survey, in ten counties in Ireland (n=4,765). A random-effects logit model was used to estimate the effect of 1) perceptions of the accessibility and availability of recreational green areas, 2) experience of crime, and 3) perceptions of safety while out and about in the local area, on the odds of meeting national physical activity guidelines (>= 150 minutes per week). Age, sex, education, limiting illness and location (urban/rural) were adjusted for.Difficulty accessing a recreational green space (OR=0.74, p=<0.01), or the unavailability of such a space (OR=0.80, p=0.04), was associated with reduced odds of meeting physical activity guidelines. Respondents who had an experience that left them concerned about their safety (OR=0.78, p<0.01), who felt unsafe out and about during the day (OR=0.61, p=0.04) or at night (OR=0.82, p=0.02) were also less likely to meet physical activity guidelines.Improvements to the local environment may be useful for promoting increased physical activity, in addition to individual-level behaviour change interventions.
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