INFLUENCE OF LIVING ENVIRONMENT STIMULATION ON KEY COMPONENTS OF AUTONOMY IN OLDER ADULT (P1155)

Objective : (1) To examine whether the stimulating nature of the living environment (home and neighborhood) is associated with two key predictors of autonomy in older adults: physical activity and sleep, and (2) to test whether physical activity mediates the association between environmental stimulation and sleep.
Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among community-dwelling adults aged 75 years and over. Auto-administered questionnaires collected data on socio-demographic, general health, quality of life (SF-12), risk of sarcopenia (SARC-F), physical activity (PASE), sleep quality, timing and sleepiness (PSQI, µMCTQ, and ESS). The stimulating nature of the living environment was measured using a weighted questionnaire developed by the HabitAge team (ULiège). Regarding the analyses, multiple logistic regressions are currently being conducted. In addition, given the potential mediating role of physical
activity in the relationship between living environment’s stimulation and sleep, mediation analyses are being realized.
Results : A total of 150 older participants completed the autoadministered questionnaires. Analyses are currently ongoing, and results will be presented at the conference. We hypothesize that higher living environment’s stimulation score will be positively associated with better levels of physical activity and sleep. We further hypothesize that physical activity will mediate the relationship between living environment’s stimulation and sleep quality.
Conclusion : These findings will highlight how the stimulating nature of the living environment can support autonomy among older adults, addressing an aspect that has received little attention compared to the influence of safety-related housing factors on health.