| 摘要: |
| 滨海环境在促进老年人健
康方面的影响已被广泛认可，滨海
疗愈功能的开发被作为老年移民和
养老旅游经济发展的抓手。然而，
当前的滨海开发主要以商品化为主，
导致旅游功能“排他性”严重，疗
愈功能发挥不足，无法最大化的实
现健康促进效应。对此，这项研究
基于疗愈视角探讨了“滨海环境-滨
海活动-老年人健康”之间的关联，
使用随机截距模型、倾向性匹配以
及分层分析方法，比较了滨海社区
与非滨海社区的健康水平差异，并
且以滨海活动频率为中介要素，分
析环境-行为-健康之间的关联。研究
结果证实了滨海社区比非滨海社区
老年人的身体和心理健康状况更
好， 且自评身体健康状况也往往更
加积极。研究强调了合理强度的建
成环境开发可产生正向的疗愈效应；
滨海可达性对身体健康的促进效应
最强。这为发挥疗愈功能的滨海空
间环境设计与规划提供了思路。 |
| 关键词: 疗愈效应 滨海空间 老
年人 健康促进 影响机制 |
| DOI：10.13791/j.cnki.hsfwest.20251013002 |
| 分类号: |
| 基金项目:国家自然科学基金面上项目（52278048） |
|
| The impact of coastal space on the health among older adults from a perspective ofhealing function: An empirical study of mediation effect |
|
BAI Jiayuan,CUI Ying
|
| Abstract: |
| The therapeutic potential of coastal environments in promoting elderly health has gained increasing
recognition. As significant therapeutic landscapes, the diversity of coastal spatial environments profoundly
influences residents’ healing experiences along the coast. However, China’s existing coastal spatial
development has predominantly created commercial recreational spaces oriented toward external tourists,
failing to fully realize their therapeutic potential. With the deepening progression of an aging society, urban
coastal environments have become crucial for attracting external populations to coastal cities for elderly
settlement and developing the “silver economy”. This study addresses this critical gap by investigating the
interrelationships among “coastal environment-coastal activities-elderly health” from a therapeutic perspective,
employing a rigorous mixed-methods approach to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these associations. The
research framework is constructed based on three health impact pathways: harm reduction, resilience, and
constructive capacity. It examines how various combinations of coastal environmental elements affect the
health levels of elderly populations. Coastal environmental elements serve as explanatory variables and are
categorized into three dimensions: blue-green space exposure, surrounding built environment, and coastal
service conditions. The health levels of elderly populations encompass both subjective and objective health
dimensions. It conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis between coastal and non-coastal communities
using a random intercept model to account for community-level variations, propensity score matching to
mitigate selection bias, and stratified analysis to examine heterogeneous effects across different demographic
subgroups. The mediation analysis specifically focused on coastal activity frequency as a key intermediary
variable linking environmental factors to health outcomes, allowing us to disentangle the complex pathways
through which coastal environments influence elderly well-being. The findings robustly demonstrated that
elderly residents in coastal communities exhibit superior physical and mental health status compared to their
non-coastal counterparts, with more positive self-rated health perceptions. This association remained
significant after controlling for potential confounders, including socioeconomic status, pre-existing health
conditions, and social support networks. The mediation analysis further revealed that coastal activity frequency
significantly mediated the relationship between coastal environment and health outcomes. Notably, it identified
a nonlinear relationship between development intensity and therapeutic effects, indicating that moderately
developed built environments generate optimal therapeutic benefits, whereas excessive development
diminishes these effects. Accessibility to coastal areas emerged as the strongest predictor of physical health
promotion, with each standard deviation increase in accessibility associated with a 0.42 standard deviation
improvement in physical health metrics (p < 0.001). The therapeutic effects were most pronounced among
elderly individuals aged 75—84 years and those with moderate mobility limitations, suggesting that coastal
environments may serve as particularly valuable health resources for vulnerable subgroups. Notably, it’s found
that both the quality and quantity of blue-green space exposure positively affect elderly health levels, with
NDVI levels showing the strongest positive effect on physical and mental health among older adults (p<0.05).
Contrary to conventional assumptions, direct proximity to coastal environments demonstrated limited
sensitivity in influencing elderly health, whereas densely roaded and high floor-area-ratio (FAR) builtenvironments negatively impacted both physical and mental health outcomes. Therapeutic benefits were significantly attenuated among older-old adults (≥75
years) and mentally subpopulations residing in non-coastal communities. Socioeconomic status (SES) influenced self-rated health but showed no association
with objective physical/mental health measures, suggesting potential deficiencies in existing vulnerability assessments for disadvantaged groups. Furthermore,
while convenient transportation accessibility and abundant shopping and recreational sports facilities in coastal environments significantly promote elderly
health, the proliferation of tourist attractions and transportation infrastructure exhibits an adverse association with their health levels. This negative effect is
speculated to stem from the potential surge in tourist numbers caused by such facilities, which may obstruct elderly activities in coastal spaces due to crowded
conditions. Additionally, increased human density could diminish the therapeutic restoration capacity of pleasant landscapes on mental health. These findings
have significant implications for urban planning and environmental design aimed at enhancing elderly health. The study supports the development of coastal
spaces that prioritize accessibility, natural elements, and community engagement over commercialization. The integration of therapeutic design principles—
such as creating multi-sensory experiences, ensuring barrier-free access, and providing spaces for social interaction—can maximize the health-promoting
potential of coastal environments. Furthermore, our results advocate for policy interventions that balance economic development with health considerations,
ensuring that the therapeutic benefits of coastal environments are equitably distributed across all segments of the elderly population. This study contributes to
the growing body of evidence on environmental determinants of healthy aging and provides a theoretical framework for future research on therapeutic
landscapes. By elucidating the complex interplay between coastal environments, human activities, and health outcomes, our research offers actionable insights
for creating age-friendly coastal communities that enhance the quality of life for older adults while preserving the ecological integrity of coastal ecosystems. |
| Key words: healing effects coastal space elderly health promotion impact mechanism |
