Neighborhood Walkability and the Walking Behavior of Australian Adults

Owen, Neville; Cerin, Ester; Leslie, Eva; duToit, Lorinne; Coffee, Neil; Frank, Lawrence D.; Bauman, Adrian; Hugo, Graeme; Saelens, Brian E.; Sallis, James F.

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2007.07.025

Cited by 544 publications

(428 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…24,25 For instance, the city of Atlanta in the USA has a density of 1,220 persons/km 2 . 26 The population density of the city of Adelaide, one of the capital cities of Australia, is 1,138 persons/ km 2 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of Residential Density with Adolescents’ Physical Activity in a Rapidly Urbanizing Area of Mainland China

Liang

et al. 2009

J Urban Health

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In the context of recent social and economic transitions in China, lack of physical activity among adolescents is an emerging health risk, particularly so in rapidly expanding urban areas. Evidence from Western countries suggests that built environment attributes can influence the physical activity participation of young people, but whether or not this is the case for China is unknown. We recruited high school students from ten urban districts in Nanjing, Mainland China (n=2,375; mean age=13.9± 1.0 years old; 46% boys; survey response rate=89%). The outcome variable was selfreported recreational physical activity time; the primary explanatory variable was the residential density of the urban districts. Analysis was conducted using mixed-effects logistic regression models. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, including sedentary behavior and green space, there was a consistent and graduated association between residential density and physical activity; residential density was significantly negatively associated with recreational physical activity time for students from the higher tertile of residential density (OR; 95% CI=0.64; 0.42 to 0.97) compared to those from the lower tertile. The direction and magnitude of the negative association between residential density and physical activity was similar for boys and girls. It should be a public health priority to identify the particular urban environment attributes that can encourage and support young people's participation in physical activity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of Residential Density with Adolescents’ Physical Activity in a Rapidly Urbanizing Area of Mainland China

Liang

et al. 2009

J Urban Health

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“…In that context, the "walkability" of environments and its relationship with PA has been the focus of many studies. [6][7][8][9][10] High walkable environments are characterized by high land use mix, high residential density, and a well-connected street network. 11,12 Traditionally, urban neighborhoods are built in compact pedestrian-orientated forms where high walkability can encourage PA and mainly active transportation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban–Rural Differences in Physical Activity in Belgian Adults and the Importance of Psychosocial Factors

et al. 2011

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Recent research in urban planning and public health has drawn attention to the associations between urban form and physical activity in adults. Because little is known on the urban-rural differences in physical activity, the main aims of the present study were to examine differences in physical activity between urban and rural adults and to investigate the moderating effects of the physical environment on the relationship between psychosocial factors and physical activity. In Flanders, Belgium, five rural and five urban neighborhoods were selected. A sample of 350 adults (20-65 years of age; 35 adults per neighborhood) participated in the study. Participants wore a pedometer for 7 days, and self-reported physical activity and psychosocial data were also collected. Results showed that urban adults took more steps/day and reported more walking and cycling for transport in the neighborhood, more recreational walking in the neighborhood, and more walking for transportation outside the neighborhood than rural adults. Rural adults reported more recreational cycling in the neighborhoods. The physical environment was a significant moderator of the associations between several psychosocial factors (modeling from family, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers) and physical activity. In rural participants, adults with psychosocial scores above average were more physically active, whereas there were no differences in physical activity according to psychosocial factors in urban participants. These results are promising and plead for the development of multidimensional interventions, targeting specific population subgroups. In rural environments, where changing the environment would be a very challenging task, interventions focusing on modifiable psychosocial constructs could possibly be effective.

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“…6,7 Walking-and cycling-friendly cities are associated with more walking, 8,9 less obesity, 10 lower rates of chronic diseases, 10 less sedentary time in cars, 11 decreased risk of motor vehicle crashes, 12 and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. 10,13 Safe and attractive cities with access to high quality public open space also benefit health by encouraging recreational physical activity 14 and promoting mental health.…”

Section: The Case For Urban Design That Facilitates Active Transportamentioning

confidence: 99%

Translating active living research into policy and practice: One important pathway to chronic disease prevention

Giles-Corti

Sallis

Sugiyama

et al. 2015

J Public Health Pol

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141

105

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Global concerns about rising levels of chronic disease make timely translation of research into policy and practice a priority. There is a need to tackle common risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use. Using evidence to inform policy and practice is challenging, often hampered by a poor fit between academic research and the needs of policymakers and practitioners -notably for active living researchers whose objective is to increase population physical activity by changing the ways cities are designed and built. We propose 10 strategies that may facilitate translation of research into health-enhancing urban planning policy. Strategies include interdisciplinary research teams of policymakers and practitioners; undertaking explicitly policy-relevant research; adopting appropriate study designs and methodologies (evaluation of policy initiatives as 'natural experiments'); and adopting dissemination strategies that include knowledge brokers, advocates, and lobbyists. Conducting more policy-relevant research will require training for researchers as well as different rewards in academia.

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Neighborhood Walkability and the Walking Behavior of Australian Adults

Cited by 544 publications

References 31 publications

Associations of Residential Density with Adolescents’ Physical Activity in a Rapidly Urbanizing Area of Mainland China

Associations of Residential Density with Adolescents’ Physical Activity in a Rapidly Urbanizing Area of Mainland China

Urban–Rural Differences in Physical Activity in Belgian Adults and the Importance of Psychosocial Factors

Translating active living research into policy and practice: One important pathway to chronic disease prevention

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