Relationship between home environment and energy expenditure of community-dwelling older adults

Introduction High energy expenditure by healthy older individuals has numerous benefits, and housework and exercises done at home are among the most common physical activities. However, there is little knowledge about how characteristics of the urban built environment could impact energy expenditure for moderate and vigorous daily activities. This study characterizes accessibility and a number of physical barriers, investigates the relationship between home environmental press and energy expenditure at home, and identifies the environmental characteristics that could explain variability in energy expenditure. Method The home energy expenditure of 35 healthy older women was determined from retrospective geolocation data and a multi-sensor device measuring energy expenditure (SenseWear Armband (R)). Barriers at home were identified with the Housing Enabler. Results The median was 51 environmental barriers with only 7.5 barriers between the 1st and 3rd quartile, on a total of 161 possible environmental barriers of the Housing Enabler. The number of home environmental barriers was positively and moderately correlated with energy expenditure at home (r(s) = 0.47, p = 0.01). No characteristic of the home built environment was identified that could explain the variability in energy expenditure. Conclusion Future research should identify the characteristics of the home associated with a lower or higher energy expenditure according to the characteristics of the person. This could be carried out by occupational therapists for the purpose of preventing deconditioning, energy management, promotion of social participation, recommendations for home adaptations or relocation.