Adaptibility of the urban tranportion routs and health care facilities with the WHO's standards of age friendly environments in the city of Meshkinshahr

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Mismatch between the need for age-friendly outdoor spaces\buildings and status-quo conditions of pavements and healthcare facilities has caused numerous problems in several countries of the world. The deficiency could cause serious health problems for elder people such as injuries following a fall or even death in severe cases of out-door accidents. Standardization of urban spaces and healthcare facilities to comply with the needs of elderly people plays an important role in preventing accident-related morbidities and mortalities and enhancing their quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the compatibility of urban spaces and healthcare facilities in Meshginshahr, Iran with the recommended standards of the aged-friendly healthcare facilities and public places. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in two stages in Meshginshahr from 2017 and 2018. In the first stage, health centers, pavements and access routes were examined using the checklists of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the second stage, the problems and needs of the elderly people were investigated using the checklists for assessment of the elderly-friendly cities and a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software V.23. Results: The mean compliance ratios of urban public spaces, health centers, and physicians’ offices with the standards of age-friendly pathways and healthcare premises were found to be 32%, 40%, and 49%, respectively. The participants believed that the mean compliance of urban thoroughfares with the global standards was 42%, which was significantly lower than the average compliance (i.e., 50%). According to the participants, the average compliance of urban pathways with the standards was 0.42, which was significantly lower than the average compliance (50%). Also, the average score of compliance of health centers in terms of accessibility was 2.33 ± 0.46, which was significantly lower than the average score (2.5). Conclusion: Based on our results, major deficiencies exist in urban spaces and healthcare facilities of the city of Meshginshahr with regard to the recommended healthcare facilities and urban spaces’ planning standards. The insufficiencies might restrict the access of elderly population to healthcare services or cause serious injuries and physical\mental challenges for them. It seems that lack of a clear and updated pre-planning guidelines for designing urban spaces, insufficient monitoring and audit during and after construction phases have fostered the challenges for the elderly citizens. An urgent intervention is required to achieve the goals of age-friendly city initiative in Meshginshahr and in cities with similar circumstances across the country.

Keywords: Elderly-friendly, Compliance, Urban thoroughfares, Health services providers