Scientific Development Research

With the acceleration of population aging in China, the health needs of the elderly have become increasingly prominent. By the end of 2023, China's population aged 65 and above had reached 217 million, accounting for 15.4% of the total population, indicating a continuously deepening aging trend. As important health promotion facilities in old residential communities, the age-appropriate configuration level of public sports fitness equipment directly affects the exercise safety and fitness outcomes for the elderly. Based on field survey data from 30 old residential communities across 7 central urban districts of Wuhan, this study employs questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews to analyze prominent issues such as functional misalignment of equipment, unreasonable spatial layout, and weakened maintenance mechanisms. The research reveals that among old residential communities built before 2000, 60% lack planned exercise areas, and 83% of supplementary equipment consists of traditional strength-training devices, creating a 40% supply gap compared to the demand for rehabilitation training equipment for the elderly. More notably, a significant deviation exists between the actual usage behavior of the elderly and the designed functions of the equipment—the phenomenon of "everything can be used for leg stretching" reflects a deeper deficiency in age-appropriate design. The survey shows that satisfaction ratings for the age-appropriateness of public seating and fitness equipment are below 3.8 (out of 5), making them prominent shortcomings in community age-appropriate renovation. Accordingly, this paper proposes a "proximity-based" hierarchical layout model and an "elderly-oriented" functional configuration strategy, suggesting that age-appropriate fitness facilities should be incorporated into the basic renovation checklist for old residential communities as part of urban renewal initiatives, while establishing a long-term maintenance mechanism that emphasizes both construction and management. This research provides empirical evidence and decision-making references for promoting age-friendly community development and improving the public service system for national fitness.

Old residential communities; Public sports fitness equipment; Age-appropriate configuration; Data analysis; Optimization strategies