Influences of Built Environment with Hilly Terrain on Physical Activity in Dalian, China: An Analysis of Mediation by Perceptions and Moderation by Social Environment

Abstract

Neighborhood built environment may influence residents’ physical activity, but evidence of non-major Chinese cities is lacking. We investigated the impact of five socio-demographic characteristics, 10 objectively assessed environment characteristics, eight perceived neighborhood attributes, and social environment on physical activity and health outcomes (sense of community, body mass index, as well as self-reported health status). We also examined (1) five conceptually comparable perceived neighborhood attributes as mediators of the relationship between objective environment attributes and physical activity; (2) other perceived indicators and social environment as moderators of those relationships, using the mediation analysis in regression. Objectively assessed residential density, land use mix, street connectivity, and accessibility were curvilinearly and/or linearly related to physical activity. The slope of terrain was inversely associated with body mass index (BMI). None of the perceived attributes were found as mediators probably due to the weak associations between subjective and objective environments. High density facilitated physical activity but hindered the sense of community. Further, the perceived aesthetic and safety were associated with physical activity. Additionally, social environment moderated the positive associations of all perceived environments (except for slope) and sense of community. The present study demonstrated that both physical and social environment attributes significantly correlated with physical activity in Dalian.

A Thematic Review of Neighbourhood Built Environment Factors That Affect the Sense of Community

“…[24] stated that specialists in urban planning and public health, walkable neighbourhoods are a good way to promote active lives, and he investigates the effect of attitudes and perceptions on walking in Beijing's historical area. Although there is little evidence for non-major Chinese cities, the built environment of the neighbourhood may have an impact on residents' recreational activities [25]. The cross-community variances have not yet been thoroughly clarified, according to [26], he pointed out that the current conceptual framework is primarily concerned with investigating the direct effects of personal characteristics on sense of community.…”

“…iii) Physical Qualities For the third element, physical attributes, [25], [42]- [44] are the primary factors for researchers as shown in Fig. 10.…”

Demographic data in the built environment and human health studies

“…Social demographic factors have been included in almost all (336/339) of the studies reviewed. They have been used mostly as control variables in quantitative statistical analyses, yet a few studies went further and explored the moderating role of social-economic factors on the built environment and human health relationships [5]. The most widely used variables include age, gender, education, income, race/ethnicity, marital status, employment, etc.…”

Effect of Urban Green Space in the Hilly Environment on Physical Activity and Health Outcomes: Mediation Analysis on Multiple Greenery Measures

“…The geographic scope of this study was limited to urban centers with similar economic backgrounds. The survey data were selected from a community health study conducted in Dalian from July to August 2018( for details of the questionnaire, see [50]). A total of 411 target samples were selected for this study after pre-screening by three criteria.…”