As the population of older adults in the United States grows, more ways are being explored to encourage an active lifestyle and promote healthy living. Many malls and other sites across the country have established walking programs that provide people ways to get exercise and fulfill social needs. The purpose of this study is to explore quantitatively the numbers and types of people who participate in these programs as well as to describe the physical environment in mall and non-mall settings with walking programs. This study will make use of a modified SOPARC tool, a tool originally designed for assessing park and recreation areas. The tool will be used to capture information on walkers’ observed sex, approximate age, ethnicity, activity level and usage of mobility aids. Information will be collected about the external and internal conditions at the walking sites including information on accessibility, safety and features of interest to the walker. Results will include data gathered at 10 mall and five non-mall sites in five states. It is hoped that the results of this study will show what types of people are using these programs as well as features that are common among the various sites. To date, one mall audit has been conducted. Of 39 walkers observed over 15 minutes, 61% of walkers were male, 77% were older adults, and 74% were of observed Caucasian ethnicity. This site also played special music for the walkers and has an information kiosk where walkers can sign in and record their miles walked. Challenges to older walkers include uneven walking surfaces from the transit stop and small writing on the mall wayfinding map. It is hoped the study will provide a basis to help tailor walking programs to target certain populations and ideas for optimal walking settings to inform a best practices guide for existing and new walking programs.    

Older adults who participate in regular physical activity have better emotional health, as well as reduced mortality and morbidity, compared to older adults who do not participate. Mall walking programs are an existing form of low-cost physical activity for older adults that provide level walking surfaces, security, and other amenities like benches and restrooms. Although some mall walking programs have existed for decades, there is scant evidence supporting this easily accessible form of regular physical activity for older adults. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe actual and perceived costs of existing programs in mall and non-mall locations, such as arenas. As part of a larger study, structured interviews have taken place at ten mall and five non-mall locations in five different states. Mall managers, mall walker program leaders, and program participants have been interviewed over a six-week period. All interviews have been transcribed and coded for anonymity. Cost-related themes from the transcripts have been extracted and added to those identified from an already completed literature review. The data set is being analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin model of grounded theory to identify themes and categories with the intent of developing cost-structure models that reflect successful programs. Themes identified include shared program costs between the site and a hospital, regular blood-pressure testing, and retail stores offering discounted coffee for participants. By identifying best fiscal practices and cost-related variations that encourage the diversity of participants, future efforts may be directed at developing a cost calculator to help programs identify and track their costs. This component may help in establishing low or neutral-cost programs and therefore increase the accessibility of physical exercise to a wider range of older adults. 

Mall walking provides a safe environment for older adults to engage in physical activity and participate in a social community. Walking has many health benefits, a few of the benefits include reducing the risk of falls, reducing falls, increasing quality of life, increasing cardiac function, a low cost activity, and increasing mobility. However, there is limited data on mall walking as an activity and the benefits it provides for older adults. The purpose of this study is to understand the benefits of mall walking from the perspective of mall walking leaders and mall walking participants. The results of this study will be used to create an Evidence-informed Mall Walking Program Resource Guide which will be used to help start potential programs and to benefit programs already in place. I will utilize a structured interview guide created by the research team and conduct phone or in-person interviews with three mall or non-mall walking leaders and three mall or non-mall walking participants in the Seattle area. The interview guide includes items about how participants learned about the mall walking program, what they like and dislike about mall walking, transportation to and from the mall, how long they have been a part of this walking community, what makes this community successful, and the age and ethnic diversity of the mall walkers. To date, I have completed three interviews of mall walking participants and one interview of a mall program leader. From these interviews I learned mall walking is a great health promoting activity enjoyed by older adults. Participants and leaders alike have found a social community and are able to engage physically, mentally, and psychosocially while walking. By the time of the poster presentation I will have additional data to present on two other mall walking participants and three mall walking leaders.