Far From Home? Activity Spaces Across Rural-Urban Contexts in Later Life

• In Event: Contextual Influences on Well-Being Across the Life Course

Abstract

Objective: Activity spaces have been linked to various personal outcomes, especially in later life. Yet most empirical insights come from data that were collected in urban communities where population density is high and social infrastructures are abundant. We expand the geographic scope by incorporating data on older adults living across rural and urban communities to measure the time and distance that residents travel to reach their activity spaces.
Methods: We leverage ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data from the Social Environment and Cognitive Health in Urban and Rural Areas study. Two hundred and forty-eight participants recorded 4905 valid EMAs. We explore (a) the probability of EMAs being recorded outside the home and (b) how far each EMA was recorded from home based on commuting distance and commuting time.
Results: There were no rural-urban differences in the probability of participants being away from home during their EMAs. Upon analyzing the non-home EMAs, however, we found that rural participants were located further from home than urban participants. This held true for commuting distance and commuting time. Further inspection revealed that these differences were largely explained by trips to restaurants, stores, and medical facilities. There were no geographic differences in the time it took participants to reach their workplaces, other people’s homes, religious centers, or other outdoor locations.
Discussion: These findings demonstrate greater time burdens for rural residents when utilizing commercial spaces.

Authors

• Adam Roth, Oklahoma State University

• Siyun Peng, Indiana University-Bloomington

• Jafnun Nudrat Jarin, Pennsylvania State University

• Maleah Fekete, Indiana University-Bloomington

• Tianyao Qu, Indiana University-Bloomington

• Brea Louise Perry, Indiana University-Bloomington