Socioeconomic status, neighborhood characteristics, and walking within the neighborhood among older Hong Kong Chinese

<b>Objective</b>: <div>We examined the associations of educational attainment and area socioeconomic status (SES) with total within-neighborhood walking patterns and percentage of walking undertaken for recreation purposes in Hong Kong elders. Environmental mediators of these associations were also examined.<br /><br /><b>Method</b>: <br />Chinese-speaking elders (N = 484), cognitively unimpaired and able to walk unassisted, were recruited from 32 street blocks stratified by SES and walkability. Interviewer-administered surveys were conducted to collect data on walking and sociodemographics. Neighborhood environments were audited.<br /><br /><b>Results</b>: <br />Educational attainment was positively related to walking outcomes, while area SES was only positively related to percentage of walking allocated to recreational purposes. While no mediators of area SES-walking associations were identified, several environmental attributes explained the associations of educational attainment with walking. <br /><br /><b>Discussion</b>:<br />Educational attainment rather than area SES is a key determinant of walking in Hong Kong elders; these effects are mostly attributable to social and individual rather than environmental factors.</div>