Does the perception of neighborhood built environmental attributes influence active transport in adolescents?

Association of Perceived Neighbourhood Walkability with Self-Reported Physical Activity and Body Mass Index in South African Adolescents

Adolescence is a life stage critical to the establishment of healthy behaviours, including physical activity (PA). Factors associated with the built environment have been shown to impact PA across the life course. We examined the sociodemographic differences in, and associations between, perceived neighbourhood walkability, PA, and body mass index (BMI) in South African adolescents. We recruited a convenience sample (n = 143; 13-18 years; 65% female) of students from three high schools (middle/high and low-income areas). Participants completed a PA questionnaire and the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS)-Africa and anthropometry measurements. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine various relationships. We found that, compared with adolescents living in middle/high income neighbourhoods, those living in low-income neighbourhoods had lower perceived walkability and PA with higher BMI percentiles. The associations between neighbourhood walkability and PA were inconsistent. In the adjusted models, land use diversity and personal safety were associated with club sports participation, street connectivity was positively associated with school sports PA, and more favourable perceived walkability was negatively associated with active transport. Overall, our findings suggest that the perceived walkability of lower income neighbourhoods is worse in comparison with higher income neighbourhoods, though the association with PA and BMI is unclear.

Association between the Duration of the Active Commuting to and from School, and Cognitive Performance in Urban Portuguese Adolescents

This study aimed to analyze the differences between active commuting to school (ACS) and non-ACS in cognitive performance (CP), and the association of ACS duration with CP. This cross-sectional study included 370 adolescents (males n = 170), with a mean age of 15.28 ± 2.25 years. CP was assessed through an interview, and ACS, extracurricular physical activity, and socioeconomic status was assessed by self-report. Body composition was assessed using the FitnessGram test battery. One in two adolescents did ACS (51.6%). ACS was associated with boys (53.9%), younger adolescents (14.91 ± 2.15 vs. 15.69 ± 2.29), those having school social support (55.0%), and those doing one or more extracurricular physical activities (53.6%), compared to non-ACS participants (p < 0.05). The analysis of covariance, after controlling for age, sex, school social support, and participation in extracurricular physical activity, showed an effect of ACS on the total cognitive score (F_(2,362) = 3.304, p < 0.05). The CP was higher in adolescents with more than 30 min of ACS than non-ACS (p < 0.05). The influence of ACS duration can be seen in the dimensions of inductive reasoning (ß = 0.134, t = 2.587, p < 0.05) and working memory (ß = 0.130, t = 2.525, p < 0.05). The role of ACS for CP, as well as guidelines for future research, are discussed.

Mediation role of residential density on the association between perceived environmental factors and active commuting to school in Brazilian adolescents

The objective of this study was to verify whether residential density and connectivity between streets are mediators on the association between perceived environmental factors and active commuting to school (ACS) in Brazilian adolescents. This is a cross-sectional study with a random sample of 1,130 adolescents (52.7% girls) aged between 14 to 20 years, from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Adolescents' self-reported their usual mode of commuting to and from school using a questionnaire and the perceived environmental attributes by Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for Youth (NEWS-Y). Residential density and connectivity between streets were measured by gographic information systems (GIS), within 1km road network buffers around the participant's residential address. Regression models were fitted according to mediation analyses procedures. The results showed that residential density is a mediator on the association between ACS and perceived environmental factors, including land-use mix diversity (IE = 0.114; 95%CI: 0.130, 0.311; 32% mediation), neighborhood recreation facilities (IE = 0.064; 95%CI: 0.034, 0.105; 15% mediation), and access to services (IE = 0.045; 95%CI: 0.006, 0.104; 14% mediation). Connectivity between streets did not correlate with ACS, thus it was not tested in the mediation model. In conclusion, residential density is a mediator on the relationship between perceived environmental factors and ACS.

Land use mix in the neighbourhood and childhood obesity

Land use mix (LUM) in the neighbourhood is an important aspect for promoting healthier lifestyles and consequently reducing the risk for childhood obesity. However, findings of the association between LUM and childhood obesity remain controversial. A literature search was conducted on Cochrane Library, PubMed and Web of Science for articles published before 1 January 2019. In total, 25 cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies were identified. Among them, Geographic Information Systems were used to measure LUM in 15 studies, and perceived LUM was measured in 12 studies. Generally, most studies revealed an association between a higher LUM and higher PA levels and lower obesity rates, although some studies also reported null or negative associations. The various exposure and outcome assessment have limited the synthesis to obtain pooled estimates. The evidence remains scare on the association between LUM and children's weight status, and more longitudinal studies are needed to examine the independent pathways and causality between LUM and weight-related behaviours/outcomes.

Neighbourhood residential density and childhood obesity

Residential density is considered an important attribute of the built environment that may be relevant to childhood obesity. However, findings remain inconclusive, and there are no reviews yet on the association between residential density and childhood obesity. This study aimed to systematically review the associations between residential density and weight-related behaviours and outcomes. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the Cochrane Library, PubMed and Web of Science for articles published before 1 January 2019. A total of 35 studies conducted in 14 countries were identified, including 33 cross-sectional studies, one longitudinal study and one containing both study designs. Residential density was measured by Geographic Information Systems in 28 studies within a varied radius from 0.25 to 2 km around the individual residence. Our study found a general positive association between residential density and physical activity (PA); no significant associations were observed. This study provided evidence for a supportive role of residential density in promoting PA among children. However, it remained difficult to draw a conclusion between residential density and childhood obesity. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm this association.

Active Transport to School and School Neighbourhood Built Environment across Urbanisation Settings in Otago, New Zealand

The school neighbourhood built environment (BE) can facilitate active transport to school (ATS) in adolescents. Most previous studies examining ATS were conducted in large urban centres and focused on BE of home neighbourhoods. This study examined correlations between school-level ATS rates among adolescents, objectively measured school neighbourhood BE features, and adolescents’ perceptions of the school route across different urbanisation settings. Adolescents (n = 1260; 15.2 ± 1.4 years; 43.6% male) were recruited from 23 high schools located in large, medium, and small urban areas, and rural settings in Otago, New Zealand. Adolescents completed an online survey. School neighbourhood BE features were analysed using Geographic Information Systems. School neighbourhood intersection density, residential density and walkability index were higher in large urban areas compared to other urbanisation settings. School-level ATS rates (mean 38.1%; range: 27.8%–43.9%) were negatively correlated with school neighbourhood intersection density (r = −0.58), residential density (r = −0.60), and walkability index (r = −0.64; all p < 0.01). School-level ATS rates were also negatively associated with adolescents’ perceived safety concerns for walking (r = −0.76) and cycling (r = −0.78) to school, high traffic volume (r = −0.82), and presence of dangerous intersections (r = −0.75; all p < 0.01). Future initiatives to encourage ATS should focus on school neighbourhood BE features and minimise adolescents’ traffic safety related concerns.

A Conceptual Framework for Modelling Safe Walking and Cycling Routes to High Schools

Active transport to or from school presents an opportunity for adolescents to engage in daily physical activity. Multiple factors influence whether adolescents actively travel to/from school. Creating safe walking and cycling routes to school is a promising strategy to increase rates of active transport. This article presents a comprehensive conceptual framework for modelling safe walking and cycling routes to high schools. The framework has been developed based on several existing relevant frameworks including (a) ecological models, (b) the “Five Es” (engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation) framework of transport planning, and (c) a travel mode choice framework for school travel. The framework identifies built environment features (land use mix, pedestrian/cycling infrastructure, neighbourhood aesthetics, and accessibility to local facilities) and traffic safety factors (traffic volume and speed, safe road crossings, and quality of path surface) to be considered when modelling safe walking/cycling routes to high schools. Future research should test this framework using real-world data in different geographical settings and with a combination of tools for the assessment of both macro-scale and micro-scale built environment features. To be effective, the modelling and creation of safe routes to high schools should be complemented by other interventions, including education, enforcement, and encouragement in order to minimise safety concerns and promote active transport.

Longitudinal associations between perceptions of the neighbourhood environment and physical activity in adolescents: evidence from the Olympic Regeneration in East London (ORiEL) study

BACKGROUND

Most UK adolescents do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Previous studies suggested that perceptions of the neighbourhood environment could contribute to explain differences in physical activity behaviours. We aimed to examine whether five measures of perceptions - perceived bus stop proximity, traffic safety, street connectivity, enjoyment of the neighbourhood for walking/cycling, and personal safety - were longitudinally associated with common forms of physical activity, namely walking to school, walking for leisure, and a composite measure of outdoor physical activity. We further aimed to investigate the moderating role of gender.

METHODS

We used longitudinal data from the Olympic Regeneration in East London (ORiEL) study, a prospective cohort study. In 2012, 3106 adolescents aged 11 to 12 were recruited from 25 schools in 4 deprived boroughs of East London. Adolescents were followed-up in 2013 and 2014. The final sample includes 2260 adolescents surveyed at three occasions. We estimated logistic regression models using Generalised Estimating Equations to test the plausibility of hypotheses on the nature of the longitudinal associations (general association, cumulative effect, co-varying trajectories), adjusting for potential confounders. Item non-response was handled using multiple imputation.

RESULTS

Longitudinal analyses indicate little evidence that perceptions of the neighbourhood are important predictors of younger adolescent physical activity. There was weak evidence that greater perceived proximity to bus stops is associated with a small decrease in the probability of walking for leisure. Results also indicate that poorer perception of personal safety decreases the probability of walking for leisure. There was some indication that better perception of street connectivity is associated with more outdoor physical activity. Finally, we found very little evidence that the associations between perceptions of the neighbourhood and physical activity differed by gender.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that younger adolescents' perceptions of their neighbourhood environment, and changes in these perceptions, did not consistently predict physical activity in a deprived and ethnically diverse urban population. Future studies should use situation-specific measures of the neighbourhood environment and physical activity to better capture the hypothesised processes and explore the relative roles of the objective environment, parental and adolescents' perceptions in examining differences in types of physical activity.

The linkage between the perception of neighbourhood and physical activity in Guangzhou, China: using street view imagery with deep learning techniques

BACKGROUND

Neighbourhood environment characteristics have been found to be associated with residents' willingness to conduct physical activity (PA). Traditional methods to assess perceived neighbourhood environment characteristics are often subjective, costly, and time-consuming, and can be applied only on a small scale. Recent developments in deep learning algorithms and the recent availability of street view images enable researchers to assess multiple aspects of neighbourhood environment perceptions more efficiently on a large scale. This study aims to examine the relationship between each of six neighbourhood environment perceptual indicators-namely, wealthy, safe, lively, depressing, boring and beautiful-and residents' time spent on PA in Guangzhou, China.

METHODS

A human-machine adversarial scoring system was developed to predict perceptions of neighbourhood environments based on Tencent Street View imagery and deep learning techniques. Image segmentation was conducted using a fully convolutional neural network (FCN-8s) and annotated ADE20k data. A human-machine adversarial scoring system was constructed based on a random forest model and image ratings by 30 volunteers. Multilevel linear regressions were used to examine the association between each of the six indicators and time spent on PA among 808 residents living in 35 neighbourhoods.

RESULTS

Total PA time was positively associated with the scores for "safe" [Coef. = 1.495, SE = 0.558], "lively" [1.635, 0.789] and "beautiful" [1.009, 0.404]. It was negatively associated with the scores for "depressing" [- 1.232, 0.588] and "boring" [- 1.227, 0.603]. No significant linkage was found between total PA time and the "wealthy" score. PA was further categorised into three intensity levels. More neighbourhood perceptual indicators were associated with higher intensity PA. The scores for "safe" and "depressing" were significantly related to all three intensity levels of PA.

CONCLUSIONS

People living in perceived safe, lively and beautiful neighbourhoods were more likely to engage in PA, and people living in perceived boring and depressing neighbourhoods were less likely to engage in PA. Additionally, the relationship between neighbourhood perception and PA varies across different PA intensity levels. A combination of Tencent Street View imagery and deep learning techniques provides an accurate tool to automatically assess neighbourhood environment exposure for Chinese large cities.

Differences in park characteristic preferences for visitation and physical activity among adolescents: A latent class analysis

In order to optimize environmental interventions, the current study aimed to investigate whether there are subgroups with different preferences regarding park characteristics for park visitation and park-based PA among adolescents (12–16 years). Furthermore, we examined whether the identified subgroups differed in socio-demographics, PA behavior, and park use characteristics (e.g. accompaniment to park, usual activities during park visitation, usual transportation to parks). Adolescents (12–16 years) were recruited via randomly selected secondary schools, located in Flanders (Belgium). Class visits were conducted between September and November 2016 and adolescents were asked to complete an online questionnaire. Latent class analyses using Sawtooth Software were used to identify possible subgroups. A final sample of 972 adolescents (mean age 13.3 ± 1.3 years) remained for analyses. Three subgroups of adolescents with similar preferences for park characteristics could be distinguished for both park visitation and park-based PA. Overall, current results indicate that park upkeep was the most important park characteristic for park visitation as well as park-based PA among at risk subgroups (i.e. adolescents with lower overall PA levels, girls, older adolescents,…) followed by the presence of a playground or outdoor fitness equipment. Among the more active adolescents, especially boys visiting the parks together with friends, the presence of a sport field (soccer and basketball) seems to be the best strategy to increase park visitation as well as park-based PA. Current results provide a starting point to advise policy makers and urban planners when designing or renovating parks that investing in good upkeep and maintenance of parks, and the provision of a playground or outdoor fitness equipment might be the best strategy to increase both park visitation and park-based PA among at risk adolescent subgroups.

Associations of socio-demographic, perceived environmental, social and psychological factors with active travel in Hong Kong adolescents: the iHealt(H) cross-sectional study

Adolescent active travel (AT) can contribute to health-enhancing physical activity, sense of community, social interactions, spatial and navigational skills and is a sustainable form of transport. Data analysed were from surveys with validated scales, translated and adapted for Chinese speaking Hong Kong adolescents and their parents, and administered to 1,299 adolescent/parent dyads. Using hierarchical modelling, this study examined independent associations of socio-demographic, perceived environmental, social and psychological factors (in that order) with adolescent AT to/from school (ATS) and AT to other destinations in Hong Kong. Moderation by gender and age on perceived environmental and social factors and number of household vehicles on proximity to destinations with AT were also estimated. The adolescents participating in ATS (58%), averaged 7.93 trips and 139.79 min per week. Adolescents averaged 7.68 trips/week to destinations other than school. Perceived proximity of school to home and social support for PA from peers were independently associated with higher odds of engaging in ATS. Social support for PA from household adults was associated with lower odds of engaging in ATS, especially in older adolescents. Trip frequency in those who engaged in ATS was positively associated with perceived proximity of school, access to services and parental transport-related PA. Perceived proximity of school was negatively associated with weekly minutes of ATS. Gender modified the association between social support for PA from peers and ATS frequency, and that of perceived proximity to public transport from home with weekly minutes of ATS. Perceived environmental, social and psychological factors were independently associated with AT to destinations other than school. In conclusion, Hong Kong adolescents appear to have high frequencies of ATS and AT to other destinations than reported elsewhere. Social support from peers, parental AT and having schools and other destinations within walking distance from home may independently contribute to adolescents' AT.

Built Environment, Psychosocial Factors and Active Commuting to School in Adolescents: Clustering a Self-Organizing Map Analysis

Although the built environment and certain psychosocial factors are related to adolescents' active commuting to and from school (ACS), their interrelationships have not been explored in depth. This study describes these interrelationships and behavioral profiles via a self-organizing map (SOM) analysis. The sample comprised 465 adolescents from the IPEN (International Physical Activity and the Environment Network) Adolescent study in Valencia, Spain. ACS, barriers to ACS, physical self-efficacy, social support and sociodemographics were measured by questionnaire. Street-network distance to school, net residential density and street intersection density were calculated from the Geographic Information System. The clustering of the SOM outcomes resulted in eight areas or clusters. The clusters which correspond to the lowest and highest ACS levels were then explored in depth. The lowest ACS levels presented interactions between the less supportive built environments (i.e., low levels of residential density and street connectivity in the neighborhood and greater distances to school) and unfavorable psychosocial variables (i.e., low values of physical self-efficacy and medium social support for ACS) and good access to private motorized transport at home. The adolescents with the lowest ACS values exhibited high ACS environment/safety and planning/psychosocial barrier values. Future interventions should be designed to encourage ACS and change multiple levels of influence, such as individual, psychosocial and environmental factors.

Sedentary Behaviour in Swiss Children and Adolescents: Disentangling Associations with the Perceived and Objectively Measured Environment

Identifying correlates of sedentary behaviour across all levels of the ecological model and understanding their interrelations is a promising method to plan effective interventions. The present study examined whether the objectively assessed and the perceived neighbourhood are associated with children’s sedentary behaviour time (SBT). A comprehensive set of factors at different levels of influence across the ecological model were taken into account and analysed for mediating and modifying effects. Analyses were based on 1306 children and adolescents (6⁻16 years) participating in the population-based SOPHYA-study. Accelerometers were used to assess SBT, the perceived environment was examined by a validated parental questionnaire, and objective environmental data were allocated using GIS (ArcMap 10.2, Esri, Redlands, CA, USA) for each family’s residential address. A high perceived safety was associated with less SBT. Boys, those whose residential neighbourhood was characterized by dead ends in urban areas, a low main street density in the neighbourhood of children and greenness were less likely to exhibit SBT. The association of the objective environment with the respective parental perceptions was low and no significant mediating effect was found for the perceived environment. We conclude for land-use planning to reduce sedentary behaviour objective environments should be complemented with efforts to increase parental sense of security.

Environment perception and leisure-time physical activity in Portuguese high school students

This study aims to analyze the association between perceived environmental factors and leisure-time physical activity (PA) among adolescents of both genders. Data were collected in autumn of 2011 from 866 adolescents (412 girls and 454 boys) 12- to 18-years-old, from four Portuguese cities. Perception of environmental factors was assessed by Assessing Levels of Physical Activity and Fitness (ALPHA) questionnaire (Spittaels et al., 2010, IJBNPA). PA was assessed by a questionnaire that evaluated PA during leisure-time and participants were assigned into the following categories: sedentary; low active; moderate active; and very active. Boys presented higher levels of structured PA, frequency and intensity of PA, and level of sport competition than girls (p < 0.001). Distance to local facilities (p = 0.001 for girls; p < 0.001 for boys) and home environment (p = 0.004 for girls; p = 0.015 for boys) were negatively associated with PA. Total, cycling and walking infrastructures (p < 0.001), as well as cycling and walking network (p = 0.049) and connectivity (p = 0.034) showed a positive association with PA in boys. Analysis of variance showed significant differences between girls' PA regarding aesthetics (p = 0.013), study environment (p = 0.023), home environment (p = 0.014) and whether it is pleasant or not (p = 0.023). Differences between boys' PA were observed for distance to local facilities (p = 0.003), total, cycling and walking infrastructures (p < 0.001) and home environment (p = 0.002). This study results support that some environmental factors are associated with adolescents' PA levels, with relevant differences between genders. Therefore, these gender differences must be taken into account, in order to increase levels of PA in Portuguese youth, especially in girls.

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Portuguese adolescents' physical activity levels remain extremely low.

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Adolescent boys present higher levels of physical activity than girls.

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Several environmental factors are associated with adolescents' physical activity.

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Perceptions about the environment are different between genders.

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Boys and girls' physical activity is related with different environmental factors.

Parental and Adolescent Perceptions of Neighborhood Safety Related to Adolescents' Physical Activity in Their Neighborhood

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adolescent and parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and adolescents' physical activity in multiple locations and to investigate the moderating effect of sex within this association.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 928 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years old and 1 of their parents. Adolescents and parents reported their perceptions of neighborhood safety (traffic safety, pedestrian safety, crime safety, and stranger danger safety). Adolescents reported how often they were physically active in multiple locations (physical activity in the neighborhood, in parks, and for active transport). Mixed-effects linear regression models were used to investigate these associations while controlling for demographics and the Walkability Index.

RESULTS

Parent-perceived crime safety was positively associated with adolescents' physical activity in parks (B = .094, p = .024). Parent-perceived traffic safety was positively associated with adolescents' reported physical activity in the neighborhood (B = .186, p = .014). Adolescents' physical activity for active transport was positively associated with parent-perceived traffic safety (B = .179, p = .001), stranger danger safety (B = .110, p = .013), and crime safety (B = .077, p = .035). There were 2 interactions by sex on the relation between adolescent traffic safety perception and parent pedestrian safety perception in the neighborhood and adolescents' physical activity in parks (i.e., statistically significant only for boys).

CONCLUSIONS

Parents' perceptions of traffic, stranger danger, and crime safety were all related to adolescents' active transportation. Multiple safety concerns may be motivating parents to restrict adolescent mobility by walking and bicycling.

From built environment to health inequalities: An explanatory framework based on evidence

OBJECTIVE

The Health in All Policies strategy aims to engage every policy domain in health promotion. The more socially disadvantaged groups are usually more affected by potential negative impacts of policies if they are not health oriented. The built environment represents an important policy domain and, apart from its housing component, its impact on health inequalities is seldom assessed.

METHODS

A scoping review of evidence on the built environment and its health equity impact was carried out, searching both urban and medical literature since 2000 analysing socio-economic inequalities in relation to different components of the built environment.

RESULTS

The proposed explanatory framework assumes that key features of built environment (identified as density, functional mix and public spaces and services), may influence individual health through their impact on both natural environment and social context, as well as behaviours, and that these effects may be unequally distributed according to the social position of individuals.

CONCLUSION

In general, the expected links proposed by the framework are well documented in the literature; however, evidence of their impact on health inequalities remains uncertain due to confounding factors, heterogeneity in study design, and difficulty to generalize evidence that is still very embedded to local contexts.

Fast-food intake and perceived and objective measures of the local fast-food environment in adolescents

Objective

We examined associations between fast-food intake and perceived and objective fast-food outlet exposure.

Design

Information from the Health Behaviours in School-aged Children Study was linked to fast-food outlets in seventy-five school neighbourhoods. We used multivariate multilevel logistic regression analyses to examine associations between at least weekly fast-food intake and perceived and objective fast-food outlet measures.

Subjects

Data represent 4642 adolescents (aged 11–15 years) in Denmark.

Results

Boys reporting two or more fast-food outlets had 34 % higher odds consuming fast food at least weekly. We detected higher odds of at least weekly fast-food intake among 15-year-old 9th graders (ORall=1·74; 95 % CI 1·40, 2·18; ORboys=2·20; 95 % CI 1·66, 2·91; ORgirls=1·41; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·92), Danish speakers (ORall=2·32; 95 % CI 1·68, 3·19; ORboys=2·58; 95 % CI 1·69, 3·93; ORgirls=2·37; 95 % CI 1·46, 3·84) and those travelling 15 min or less to school (ORall=1·21; 95 % CI 1·00, 1·46; ORgirls=1·44; 95 % CI 1·08, 1·93) compared with 11-year-old 5th graders, non-Danish speakers and those with longer travel times. Boys from middle- (OR=1·28; 95 % CI 1·00, 1·65) and girls from low-income families (OR=1·46; 95 % CI 1·05, 2·04) had higher odds of at least weekly fast-food intake compared with those from high-income backgrounds. Girls attending schools with canteens (OR=1·47; 95 % CI 1·00, 2·15) had higher odds of at least weekly fast-food intake than girls at schools without canteens.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrates that perceived food outlets may impact fast-food intake in boys while proximity impacts intake in girls. Public health planning could target food environments that emphasize a better understanding of how adolescents use local resources.

Parental perceived neighborhood attributes: associations with active transport and physical activity among 10-12 year old children and the mediating role of independent mobility

BACKGROUND

During the last decades, the use of active travel modes declined in all age groups. Childhood is a critical time to establish lifelong healthy patterns. To develop effective interventions in this age group, insight in the correlates of health behaviors and the possible mediating factors is necessary. Among children, the role of parents may not be overlooked. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the associations of parental perceptions of neighborhood environmental attributes with active transport and total physical activity in 10-12 year old Belgian boys and girls. Furthermore, this study examined the potential mediating effect of independent mobility on these associations.

METHODS

In the present study, 736 10-12 year old children and their parents from 44 elementary schools in Flanders, Belgium, participated. The children were asked to wear an activity monitor and to fill in a survey questioning demographic factors and the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire. The parents filled in a survey concerning demographic factors, the child's level of independent mobility and environmental perceptions (Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale).

RESULTS

Overall, boys reported more active transport when parents perceived more land use mix diversity, shorter distances to school, good land use mix access, higher residential density and less pleasing neighborhood aesthetics. Higher total physical activity levels were reported when parents perceived shorter distances to school and availability of walking/cycling infrastructure. None of the associations was mediated by independent mobility in boys. Girls reported more active transport when parents perceived higher residential density, more land use mix diversity, shorter distances to school, good land use mix access, available walking/cycling infrastructure and convenient recreational facilities. Girls reported higher total physical activity levels when parents perceived high residential density, good land use mix access, well-maintained and high quality walking/cycling infrastructures and more traffic safety. Independent mobility was found to be an important mediator of these associations in girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Neighborhood environmental interventions to increase children's active transport and physical activity can be effective when combined with awareness raising programs for parents. Furthermore, among girls encouraging independent mobility may contribute to behavior change.

Perception of built environmental factors and physical activity among adolescents in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Understanding environmental factors related to adolescents' physical activity can inform intervention for obesity control and prevention, but virtually no study has been conducted in the African region, where adolescents' physical inactivity and chronic diseases rates are rising. This study assessed associations between perceived built environmental variables and adolescents' physical activity (active transportation to school and leisure-time moderate-to- vigorous physical activity), and the moderating effects of neighborhood-level income on association between environmental variables and physical activity among Nigerian boys and girls.

METHODS

Participants were 1006 adolescents (12-19 years, 50.4% girls) randomly selected from 11 secondary schools in Maiduguri city, Nigeria. Physical activity and perceptions of environmental characteristics were assessed by validated self-report questionnaires. Separate gender-based, hierarchical multiple moderated linear regression analyses were used to examine the direct associations between the environmental perceptions and physical activity variables (active transportation and leisure-time MVPA; dependent variables), as well as the moderating effects of neighborhood-level income.

RESULTS

Only in boys were direct associations and interaction effect of neighborhood-level income found. Access to destinations was positively associated with active transportation to school (β = 0.18; CI = 0.67, 2.24); while residential density (β = 0.10; CI = 0.01, 1.74) and availability/quality of infrastructures (β = 0.14; CI = 0.49, 2.68) were positively associated with leisure-time MVPA. Also, neighborhood-level income moderated the association between perceived safety and leisure-time MVPA, with more perceived safety related to less MVPA (β = -0.16; CI = -0.01, -0.70) in boys living in high SES neighborhood but marginally related to more MVPA (β = 0.11; CI = -0.04, 2.88, p = 0.06) in boys living in low SES neighborhood.

CONCLUSIONS

Few environmental attributes were associated with adolescents' physical activity in Nigeria. Future studies are needed to determine the multidimensional correlates of physical activity that may be relevant for both adolescents' boys and girls in Nigeria.

Relationship between the objectively-assessed neighborhood area and activity behavior in Swiss youth

Background

Neighborhood attributes are modifiable determinants of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). We tested whether the objectively-assessed built and social environment was associated with PA and SB in Swiss youth and whether sex, age and the socioeconomic position (Swiss-SEP) modified such associations.

Methods

We combined data of 1742 youth (ages 4 to 17) from seven studies conducted within Switzerland between 2005–2010. All youth provided accelerometer data and a home address, which was linked to objective environmental data and the Swiss-SEP-index. Associations between neighborhood attributes and PA were analyzed by multivariable multilevel regression analyses.

Results

The extent of green areas and building density was positively associated with PA in the total sample (p < 0.05). Factors representing centrally located areas, and more schoolchildren living nearby tended to increase PA in secondary schoolchildren, boys and those from lower-ranked socioeconomic areas. In primary schoolchildren, the extent of green areas was positively associated with PA (p = 0.05). Associations between neighborhood attributes and PA were more pronounced in youth from low socioeconomic areas.

Conclusions

The results indicate that some associations between neighborhood attributes and PA differ by age, sex and socioeconomic area. This should be taken into account when planning interventions to increase childhood PA.

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Comprehensive assessment of objectively measured neighborhood attributes in Europe

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Effects of neighborhood attributes on PA differed by age-group, sex and socioeconomic neighborhood.

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Associations between neighborhood attributes and PA were more pronounced in youth from low socioeconomic areas.

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Strongest associations with green spaces and centrally located areas