Inequality in health and physical inactivity among senior citizens

Background: Previous research addressing physical activity among senior citizens tend to focus on the actual benefits of being active hence approaching the topic from a physiological and medical perspective. Addressing a gap in interdisciplinary research combining the physiological with the built environment this research will be done in a network of three universities with architects, landscape designers and sports scientists specialized in quantitative measuring collaborating closely over a period of three years. In a Copenhagen neighbourhood of 770 flats for senior citizens this research will be focusing on intervention design in everyday life activities, social community and local urban spaces.

Aims: The research seeks to investigate and explore issues linked to health promotion; e.g. how architecture and design can influence and enhance new body cultures and public health among senior citizens – both mentally, socially and physically.

Theoretical approach: Hypothesizing that in order to address these issues and sustain the solutions local stakeholders and end-users must be engaged in all phases of the process – from identifying and defining the problem, through developing the design to the implementation of the intervention – this research bases itself on the approaches of action research and participatory design.

Methods: Acknowledging that participation in terms of actually co-designing interventions – and especially designing something unknown does not come natural to everyone, this research emphasises a visual approach; e.g. visual go-along interviews, cultural probes, workshops focusing on tangible and visual elements. Led by architects the ‘visual’ will be interpreted as the basis of the inclusive approach of action research.