Perceived and Objective Measures of Neighborhood Walkability and Physical Activity among Adults in Japan: A Multilevel Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract

Although associations between a person’s neighborhood and their health have been studied internationally, most studies have been limited to a few cities or towns. Therefore, we used a nationally representative sample to explore whether perceived and objective neighborhood walkability was associated with the physical activity of residents. Data were analyzed from the Japanese General Social Surveys of 2010 (n = 2395; 1114 men and 1281 women). Perceived walkability was scored using factor analysis for the respondents’ perceptions of neighborhood conditions, while objective walkability was measured using the geographic information system approach. Finally, multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to examine whether neighborhood walkability was associated with the frequency of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among respondents. We found that perceived walkability was positively associated with the frequency of LTPA (odds ratio of the highest quartile was 1.53 (1.14–2.05) compared with the lowest quartile); however, objective walkability showed no association. When stratified by gender, an association between perceived walkability and LTPA was observed among women, but only a marginally significant association was present between objective walkability and LTPA among men. We conclude that the association between neighborhood walkability and LTPA can be partially generalized across Japan.

The role of perceived environment, neighbourhood characteristics, and attitudes in walking behaviour: evidence from a rapidly developing city in China

“…However, several recent studies have drawn attention to the divergent effects of objective and subjective dimensions of the built environment in explaining variations in walking behaviour (Hanibuchi et al 2015;Koohsari et al 2015). It has been suggested that both dimensions of the built environment should be included, as different associations have been found between the objective and subjective dimensions of the environmental features with walking behaviour (Ma et al 2015;Orstad et al 2017).…”

Efficacy of group intervention involving physical activity on subjective well‐being of elderly returnees after evacuation following the Great East Japan Earthquake

“…Aoyagi and Shephard suggested that taking <4000 daily steps was a simple objective criterion to determine whether someone was becoming housebound and taking >4000 steps suggested a lower risk of mental health disorders including depression . According to a previous study on the association between the environment and physical activity in Japanese adults, residents in rural areas walk less than those in urban areas, and physical access to shops, parks, and recreational facilities can improve residents’ physical activity and making them feel safe . In Odaka, the operation of grocery shops, medical and welfare facilities, and other institutions and the use of public transportations remained limited after the evacuation order was lifted.…”

“…43 According to a previous study on the association between the environment and physical activity in Japanese adults, residents in rural areas walk less than those in urban areas, and physical access to shops, parks, and recreational facilities can improve residents' physical activity and making them feel safe. 44 In Odaka, the operation of grocery shops, medical and welfare facilities, and other institutions and the use of public transportations remained limited after the evacuation order was lifted. Based on this, it can be assumed that in Okada, a large number of older returnees lead independent lives but have a low physical activity level.…”

Using Virtual Street Audits to Understand the Walkability of Older Adults’ Route Choices by Gender and Age

“…An environment’s perceived walkability can differ from its objectively assessed walkability [49], while research based on objective measures can identify different relationships between walking and the environment, and different pro-walking environmental factors, than can research based on subjective measures [50]. Other limitations of the study include the use of an unrepresentative sample, which makes extrapolating to the wider population of older adults difficult.…”