How accessibility to neighborhood grocery stores is related to older people's walking behavior: A study of Yokohama, Japan

Introduction: Promoting a walkable environment is a prime concern for aging societies, including Japan. This study focuses on the daily shopping environment of older adults in Yokohama City and analyzes the association between their daily step counts and spatial accessibility to grocery stores. We aim to discover a reasonable distance to and the spatial configuration of fundamental amenities that enhances the physical activity of older people.Methods: The accessibility of grocery stores was measured by two factors: the shortest-path distance on a street network to the nearest supermarkets from participants' dwellings and the proximity to specialized food shops from supermarkets. The former is treated as accessibility to anchor stores, and the latter reflects the diversity of destinations. We compare the differences in daily step counts among various groups using two-way ANOVA based on the two factors. Results: Living at a middle distance (500 m) from the nearest supermarkets and high destination diversity would help to increase older women's daily walking, whereas these factors are not related to men's daily walking. The map of the distance to the nearest supermarket disclosed the disadvantaged area with respect to the accessibility of grocery stores.Conclusions: The association between women's walking and shopping environment can be attributed to multidestination trips and the increased attractiveness of locations near supermarkets. Our research findings partially contribute to promoting a walkable city.

Automated summary

This study aims to explore and analyze the relationship between the daily shopping environment and step counts of older adults in Yokohama City, as well as the impact of the reasonable distance and spatial configuration of fundamental amenities on the physical activity of older people. By using two indicators (shortest-path distance and proximity to specialized food shops), the study examined the effects of the shopping environment on the daily step counts of older people, revealing that living at a middle distance from the nearest supermarkets and high destination diversity can increase older women's daily walking. The study also identified disadvantaged areas in terms of grocery store accessibility through the map of the distance to the nearest supermarket. These findings contribute partially to promoting a walkable city.