Objective and perceived availability of physical activity opportunities: differences in associations with physical activity behavior among urban adolescents

Abstract

Background: This study examined the associations of the perceived and objective environment with adolescent engagement in sports activities and walking and cycling in leisure time. It also explored the degree of agreement between objective and perceived availability of physical activity (PA) facilities in neighborhoods.

Distância percebida até as instalações de lazer e sua associação com a prática de atividade física e de exercícios em adolescentes de Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil

“…De fato, as principais barreiras para a prática de atividade física relatadas por adolescentes de Curitiba incluem a percepção de distância até os locais, dificuldade de acesso e não conhecer os locais, além da falta de segurança no bairro 12,13 . De maneira similar ao verificado no presente estudo, em pesquisas conduzidas no Brasil (Curitiba) 15 , na Holanda (Roterdã) 19 , em Portugal (Porto) 37 e na Nova Zelândia (Auckland) 20 , os autores encontraram associação positiva entre presença e proximidade de instalações de lazer (parques, quadras, academias e ciclovias) com a prática de atividade física de adolescentes. Contudo, esses resultados são distintos aos encontrados em João Pessoa, onde a percepção de presença de locais para a prática de atividade física no bairro não se associou com a prática de atividade física de intensidade moderada a vigorosa 14 .…”

“…A distância percebida é conceitualmente entendida como a percepção (portanto é uma medida subjetiva) do indivíduo sobre o tempo despendido de deslocamento até algum local para a prática de atividade física próximo de sua residência 18 . Estudos realizados em outros países mostraram associação positiva entre a proximidade até esses locais com a prática de atividade física em adolescentes 19,20 .…”

Do people’s perceptions of neighborhood bikeability match “Reality”?

“…Moudon 2010; Ma, Dill, and Mohr 2014;McCormack et al 2007;McGinn et al 2007;Prins et al 2009;Van Acker, Derudder, and Witlox 2013). The mismatch between the perceived and objective environment is one of the reasons leading to mixed findings from the travel behavior/built environment studies (Ma and Dill 2015;Van Acker, Derudder, and Witlox 2013;Van Acker, Van Wee, and Witlox 2010).…”

“…Lackey and Kaczynski (2009) examined how the individual, neighborhood, and parkrelated variables influenced the agreement between self-reported and objectively measured distance to parks, and also found that agreement was poor; however, agreement was higher in certain subgroups. Prins et al (2009) explored the degree of agreement between objective and perceived availability of physical activity facilities in neighborhoods as well as the relative effect of perceived and objective environment on adolescent engagement in sports activities and walking and cycling in leisure time. They found that agreement was low to moderate based on the kappa values.…”

Challenges and Barriers Experienced by Prince George Parents in Providing Opportunities for Children to Engage in Healthy Eating and Active Living: A Men’s Health Parents Perspective

“…These perceptions of the environment depend on individual characteristics and what might be available to individuals , such as transportation. Furthermore, perceptions of environment are infl uenced by social, informational and interactional factors 11 . For example, participants' view of what is available in Prince George was infl uenced by their interactions with other participants and learning about new resources in our focus groups discussions.…”