A social support index was calculated for each subscale by averaging the survey items in which a higher score indicated a higher perceived availability of social support and a lower score indicated a lower perceived availability of social support in each area.
However, it is very possible that after experiencing a major event, such as a fall, that an individual's social contact and perceived availability of social support could change dramatically, with relatives, neighbors, and others close to the individual providing more social support since the event.
Our results suggest that perceived qualities are likely to be relevant for health and well-being in addition to more simple constructs such as perceived availability of a green open space or forest area.
Ordinal regression with adjustment for the socio-demographic variables was also used to examine the concurrent validity of SGS (individual and area-aggregated) in relation to perceived availability of a green open space or forest area, neighborhood satisfaction and vitality.
Similarly, the effect estimates for neighborhood satisfaction associated with SGS decreased marginally also when perceived availability of a green open space or forest area (yes/no) was added to the models (e.g. OR associated with standardized area-aggregated SGS decreased from 1.30 to 1.27; not in tables).
The SSS is a 19-item survey measuring the perceived availability of functional social support in four areas: emotional/informational support, tangible support, affectionate support, and positive social interaction.
The Community and Personal Support variable is a composite measure of five scales: perceived availability of social support [ 31], social networks [ 32], sense of community [ 33], community participation [ 34], and sense of place, which assesses connection with the local environment and landscape [ 35].
Perceived feasibility can be influenced by the presence of role models or partners, obstacles, financial and social support, education, confidence in one's ability to perform entrepreneurial tasks, or perceived availability of resources needed to create a business (Gasse and Tremblay 2011).
It is scored on a 7-point scale, where higher scores indicate greater perceived availability of support from family, friends, and other sources [ 18].
It is important to note that it is the perceived availability of social support that has a positive impact on health [ 15, 16, 18].
