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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 6114

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

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Keywords

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

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 330 KiB  
Article
Spatial Mobility Change Among Older Chinese Immigrants During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Physical, Social, and Virtual Environmental Factors
by Minhui Yang, Lu Wang, Lixia Yang, Jie Yu, Dongmei Chen, Miao Wang, Haoran Dong and Jingheng Yan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(3), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030406 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 517
Abstract
Background: Vast spatial mobility changes happened globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, profoundly affecting older adults’ well-being and active aging experience. This study aims to examine how the virtual environment and cyberspace, in conjunction with the physical and social neighbourhood environments, influence outdoor activities [...] Read more.
Background: Vast spatial mobility changes happened globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, profoundly affecting older adults’ well-being and active aging experience. This study aims to examine how the virtual environment and cyberspace, in conjunction with the physical and social neighbourhood environments, influence outdoor activities and spatial mobility for older immigrants. Methods: Four online focus groups were conducted with 25 older Chinese immigrants aged 65 and over in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. The focus groups explored coping strategies during the pandemic and spatial mobility patterns related to different activity types such as grocery shopping, leisure activities and physical exercises, social and familial activities, and healthcare. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted guided by the neighbourhood and health theoretical framework. Results: The overall engagement of older Chinese immigrants in various types of outdoor activities declined drastically and the spatial mobility pattern was complex. This change was shaped largely by the intersecting physical/built (e.g., residential conditions, access to public spaces), social (e.g., social support, interpersonal cohesion) and virtual (e.g., online communities and internet-based resources) environmental factors, as well as individual risk perceptions towards COVID-19 and public health interventions during the pandemic. Conclusions: Virtual environment emerged as an important domain that compensates for the heavily reduced spatial mobility of the group during the pandemic. It functioned as a vital channel for older Chinese immigrants to sustain the necessary leisure, social, and healthcare-related activities and maintain well-being during the pandemic. The study provides implications for addressing neighbourhood-level factors in policymaking and implementing initiatives to enhance active ageing experience of older Chinese immigrants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Neighborhood Social Networks in Health Behaviors and Healthy Aging)
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
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2344
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)
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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 2 | Viewed by 2314
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)
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