Understanding the relationships between the physical environment and physical activity in older adults: a systematic review of qualitative studies

Table 3 Themes, subthemes and environmental factors identified in the reviewed studies by research methods

Themes, subthemes and environmental factors	Number of studies using		Studies
Themes, subthemes and environmental factors	Interviews (n = 21)	Qualitative spatial methods (n = 10)	Studies
Pedestrian infrastructure	22	10	[25, 26, 29–33, 35, 39, 42–46, 48, 51, 53]
Separation between pedestrians and other non-motorized transport¹	6	5	[25, 31, 36, 42, 45, 46, 51]
Weather-related sidewalk maintenance¹	5	4	[25, 26, 32, 42, 45]
Crime-related safety²	14	6	[26, 29, 30, 32, 33, 36, 37, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48, 51–53, 55]
Traffic-related safety²	17	10	[25, 26, 29–32, 38, 42–46, 49, 51–53]
Access to facilities	9	8	[25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 43, 44, 47, 48, 51, 52]
Access to exercise opportunities³	15	2	[30, 31, 33, 34, 38, 39, 41, 42, 47, 48, 50, 52–55]
Green open spaces³	11	9	[25, 26, 29, 31, 42–44, 46–49, 51, 53]
Public transit³	14	6	[25, 29, 30, 32, 34, 39, 40, 44–46, 48, 50–52, 54]
Rest areas³	9	7	[26, 29, 31, 32, 44–46, 48, 50, 51]
Aesthetics	9	8	[25, 26, 29, 32, 43, 44, 46–48, 51, 53]
Weather⁴	8	2	[26, 30, 31, 37, 39, 41, 47, 55]
Environmental quality⁴	6	4	[26, 31, 44, 46, 48, 53]

¹subthemes and environmental factors categorized under the theme “pedestrian infrastructure”; ²subthemes categorized under the theme “safety”; ³subthemes and environmental factors categorized under the theme “access to amenities”; ⁴subthemes and environmental factors categorized under the theme “environmental conditions”.

ISSN: 1479-5868