Active living neighborhoods: is neighborhood walkability a key element for Belgian adolescents?

Abstract

BackgroundIn adult research, neighborhood walkability has been acknowledged as an important construct among the built environmental correlates of physical activity. Research into this association has only recently been extended to adolescents and the current empirical evidence is not consistent. This study investigated whether neighborhood walkability and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with physical activity among Belgian adolescents and whether the association between neighborhood walkability and physical activity is moderated by neighborhood SES and gender.MethodsIn Ghent (Belgium), 32 neighborhoods were selected based on GIS-based walkability and SES derived from census data. In total, 637 adolescents (aged 13-15 year, 49.6% male) participated in the study. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometers and the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire. To analyze the associations between neighborhood walkability, neighborhood SES and individual physical activity, multivariate multi-level regression analyses were conducted.ResultsOnly in low-SES neighborhoods, neighborhood walkability was positively associated with accelerometer-based moderate to vigorous physical activity and the average activity level expressed in counts/minute. For active transport to and from school, cycling for transport during leisure time and sport during leisure time no association with neighborhood walkability nor, with neighborhood SES was found. For walking for transport during leisure time a negative association with neighborhood SES was found. Gender did not moderate the associations of neighborhood walkability and SES with adolescent physical activity.ConclusionsNeighborhood walkability was related to accelerometer-based physical activity only among adolescent boys and girls living in low-SES neighborhoods. The relation of built environment to adolescent physical activity may depend on the context.

Active commuting of the inhabitants of Liberec city in low and high walkability areas

“…The proportion of active and passive commuting by education towards the outskirts). This is consistent with the findings and results gathered in other studies (Christiansen, Madsen, Schipperijn, Ersbøll, & Troelsen, 2014;De Meester et al, 2012;Frank et al, 2010;Freeman et al, 2013). Adams et al (2014) concluded that areas with high walkability are characterized by an accumulation of a large number of inhabitants and higher commuting accessibility (e.g., Hong Kong or Bogota in Colombia).…”

Do children walk where they bike? Exploring built environment correlates of children's walking and bicycling

“…For example, the association between children's biking and street connectivity was found to be positive in one study (Trapp et al 2011) but negative in another (Van Dyck et al 2009). Other studies found no associations between environmental measures and children's biking (e.g., Ducheyne et al 2013;de Meester et al 2012;de Vries et al 2010).…”

Walkability, Land Use and Physical Activity

“…The retail floor area ratio is then added to achieve a more favorable result [12]. This four-component walkability index is used in many studies concerning walkability [55][56][57][58][59][60][61]. However, the application of the four-component walkability index is still limited.…”