IMPROVING NEIGHBOURHOOD ENVIRONMENTS MAY SUPPORT HEALTHY AGEING
A new study from the STAGE project, published in the European Journal of Public Health, investigated the relationship between environmental factors and the existence of disease in older people. The results showed that people living in areas with more green space were less likely to have multiple chronic diseases.
Older adults are increasingly facing multiple chronic diseases at the same time (known as multi-morbidity), which puts extra strain on health services. People age in environments that may support or hinder healthy lifestyle behaviours. Since most older adults are active within their neighbourhoods, age-friendly design becomes increasingly important as mobility declines. In addition, exposures such as air pollution, noise, and extreme temperatures are linked to higher risks of developing chronic diseases, particularly among older adults.
In this study, researchers from Amsterdam University Medical Center (AUMC) looked at how various environmental factors where people live (for example, neighbourhood green space, nearby cars, sociodemographic context) are related to whether older people have one disease or several at once.
Researchers analysed data from 1,578 older adults in the 2008-2009 wave of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam in the Netherlands, which focuses on physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning in adults aged over 55.
Researchers examined the existence of either a single disease, multi-morbidity, or no disease at all, in relation to people’s environmental exposures. The analysis showed that multi-morbidity was more common in women, who were also older, had lower education and lower income. It also highlighted that people living in areas with a higher density of green space, and those households with a higher number of cars, were less likely to have any disease. In contrast, many of the other environmental exposures, like air pollution or chemical exposures, showed weaker or no clear associations with disease incidence.
The study showed that even when accounting for a broad range of environmental exposures, higher neighbourhood greenery density and households with a higher number of cars emerged as significant protective factors, emphasising their potential relevance for healthy ageing.
The findings underscore the need for urban planning and equitable public health policies that improve neighbourhood-built environments and ensure access to healthy environments for all. This is particularly critical for older adults, many of whom depend on fixed incomes and have limited capacity to improve their social or economic situation later in life.
PAPER
Diana J Mora, Jeroen Lakerveld, Laura A Schaap, Mélanie Bertin, Natasja M van Schoor, Bram J Berntzen. Exposome factors associated with multi-morbidity in older adults: a discovery-based cross-sectional analysis in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. European Journal of Public Health (2025).