Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.4
Journals
IJERPH
Special Issues
The Role of Neighborhood Social Networks in Health Behaviors and...
ijerph-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJERPH Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

The Role of Neighborhood Social Networks in Health Behaviors and Healthy Aging

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 3468

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nestor Asiamah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Interdesciplinary Research and Practice, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Interests: ageing; physical activity; psychometrics; health promotion; research methods
Dr. Ruth G. Lowry

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, University of Essex, Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Interests: gerontology; social networks; ageing; age-friendly neighborhoods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is a consensus among environmental gerontologists that neighborhoods play a central role in individual health. Social networks are also a potential source of social support for health-seeking behaviors (e.g., physical activity, social participation, healthcare utilization). Yet, there is little anecdotal and empirical evidence on how neighborhoods interact with age-related changes in social networks and whether this potential interaction affects social participation, physical activity, and health in late life or across the lifespan. Changes in social networks for aging individuals could determine whether the individual has supportive and active social networks later in life. To inform interventions and new policies, stakeholders need to understand the relationship between neighborhood and social networks (e.g., active social networks, sedentary social networks, frail social networks) in old age and its influence on social participation, physical activity, and health. Thus, there is a need for research, systematic reviews, and theoretical frameworks investigating how neighborhoods interact with changes in social networks to influence physical activity, social participation, and health. This Special Issue aims to address these topics with papers reporting robustly designed primary studies. Papers building theoretical models, especially those based on a systematic review of the literature, are also of interest.

Dr. Nestor Asiamah
Dr. Ruth G. Lowry
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aging
  • aging in place
  • neighborhood walkability
  • social networks
  • social participation
  • older adults
  • active social networks
  • frail social networks
  • sedentary social networks
  • psychometrics

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 989 KiB  
Article
Age Diversity in Neighborhoods—A Mixed-Methods Approach Examining Older Residents and Community Wellbeing
by Hanna Varjakoski, Samuli Koponen, Antti Kouvo and Elisa Tiilikainen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(16), 6574; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20166574 - 13 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1424
Abstract
This paper focuses on age diversity in neighbourhoods and its possible impacts on community wellbeing. The aims of this paper are (a) to investigate whether age diversity in neighbourhoods contribute to older residents’ wellbeing and (b) to explore older residents’ experiences and views [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on age diversity in neighbourhoods and its possible impacts on community wellbeing. The aims of this paper are (a) to investigate whether age diversity in neighbourhoods contribute to older residents’ wellbeing and (b) to explore older residents’ experiences and views on age diversity in their neighbourhood. These questions are addressed using a mixed-method approach combining survey and interview data and analysis. The data is derived from a survey (n = 420) and 19 semistructured interviews addressed to the older residents of a rental house company located in Eastern Finland. The interview data is analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results of qualitative data indicate that older adults see various benefits in an age-diverse living environment. In the quantitative analysis, we apply multilevel models in our statistical analyses to take both community- and individual-level variation into account. The quantitative results show that older adults living in age-diverse neighbourhoods reported higher community wellbeing. Such association was not found among the younger residents. Overall, our study adds to the understanding of the importance of neighbouring relations on community wellbeing in later life. The results can be utilized when developing age-friendly environments and housing policies at local and national levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Neighborhood Social Networks in Health Behaviors and Healthy Aging)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1057 KiB  
Article
Associations of Social Networks with Physical Activity Enjoyment among Older Adults: Walkability as a Modifier through a STROBE-Compliant Analysis
by Nestor Asiamah, Simon Mawulorm Agyemang, Cosmos Yarfi, Reginald Arthur-Mensah Jnr, Faith Muhonja, Hafiz T. A. Khan, Kyriakos Kouveliotis and Sarra Sghaier
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3341; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043341 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1523
Abstract
The available evidence suggests that social networks can contribute to physical activity (PA) enjoyment, which is necessary for the maintenance of PA over the life course. This study assessed the associations of active and sedentary social networks with PA enjoyment and ascertained whether [...] Read more.
The available evidence suggests that social networks can contribute to physical activity (PA) enjoyment, which is necessary for the maintenance of PA over the life course. This study assessed the associations of active and sedentary social networks with PA enjoyment and ascertained whether walkability moderates or modifies these associations. A cross-sectional design compliant with STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) was employed. The participants were 996 community-dwelling older Ghanaians aged 50 years or older. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to analyse the data. After adjusting for age and income, the study found that the active social network size (β = 0.09; p < 0.05) and sedentary social network size (β = 0.17; p < 0.001) were positively associated with PA enjoyment. These associations were strengthened by walkability. It is concluded that active and sedentary social networks may better support PA enjoyment in more walkable neighbourhoods. Therefore, enabling older adults to retain social networks and live in more walkable neighbourhoods may be an effective way to improve their PA enjoyment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Neighborhood Social Networks in Health Behaviors and Healthy Aging)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop