Associations between spatial access to physical activity facilities and frequency of physical activity; how do home and workplace neighbourhoods in West Central Scotland compare?

Determinants of Engagement in Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Club Sports among University Students: A Large-Scale Study

Various socio-demographic, environmental, and lifestyle-related factors have been reported to be associated with physical activity (PA) habits. However, there exist insufficient data comparing different forms of engagement in PA, sports, and exercise. This study aimed to investigate potential factors associated with the engagement in leisure-time PA (LPA) and club sports (CSs) in a large sample of college/university students. This Austria-wide study followed a cross-sectional design with a final sample of 4508 participants (mean age: 24.9 years; 65.9% female) from 52 Austrian colleges/universities. A standardized survey was used to collect data on demographics, anthropometric characteristics, and a wide range of health-related lifestyle factors, including patterns of PA and underlying motivations for PA engagement as well as details of dietary habits, sleep routines, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared, logistic regression, and MANCOVA were used for data analysis. Across the entire sample, 85.7% of participants reported regular participation in LPA, including 22.5% who were active members of sports clubs. Of the 36 potential motives listed in the questionnaire, "maintaining physical health", "feeling good", and "refreshing the mind" were the most commonly reported factors motivating students to engage in either LPA or CSs. Ten socio-demographic, dietary, or lifestyle factors were identified as predictors of CSs participation (p < 0.01), whereas only two variables (specifically sleep-related factors) were identified as predictors of LPA participation (p < 0.001). These findings emphasize the importance of considering the type of PA and sport participation and the associated determinants when designing tailored strategies to promote an active lifestyle.

Health behavior of Austrian tertiary students focusing on diet type linked to sports and exercise-first glimpse of results from the "sustainably healthy-from science 2 high school and university" study

Background

There is a strong association between lifestyle behavior and health status. While young adulthood is a critical period for adopting and stabilizing lifelong healthy behavior, university life is independently associated with psychological stressors that may further affect health and well-being.

Objective

The present multidisciplinary study aimed to examine the health behavior of Austrian college and university students, differentiated based on diet types (vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous) and physical activity (PA) habits.

Methods

Following a cross-sectional study design, a total number of 6,148 students (65.3% females; 66.1% bachelor students, 67.0% from urban areas; mean age: 24.8 years) from 52 Austrian college/universities participated in an online survey and provided data on sociodemographic characteristics, dietary patterns, PA habits, and other lifestyle behavior characteristics, including alcohol intake and smoking.

Results

Across the total sample, 74.0% had a normal weight (BMI = 18.5-25.0 kg/m2), while the prevalence of overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2) was lower in females than males and more in rural than urban students (p < 0.01). The general prevalence of vegetarian and vegan diets was 22.8 and 6.0%, respectively, with a predominance of females, graduates, and urban students compared to their peers (p < 0.01). The majority of students (79.3%) had a regular engagement in sport/exercise, with a predominance of vegetarian or vegan students compared to omnivores (p < 0.01). Vegans and vegetarians had a lower alcohol intake (p < 0.01) but no differences in smoking habits (p > 0.05) compared to omnivores. Students engaging in sport/exercise had a lower smoking rate and higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and fluids compared to inactive students (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The present findings suggest that diet type and PA habits of college/university students have an impact on other health behaviors, highlighting the interconnected nature of lifestyle habits and health behavior.

A glimpse of academic staff health behavior on diet type and physical activity at Austrian universities: first findings from the "Sustainably Healthy - From Science 2 Highschool & University" study

Background

The association between lifestyle and health status highlights the importance of assessing health-related behavior in different populations. This multidisciplinary study aimed to examine the health behavior of academic staff of Austrian colleges and universities, with a specific focus on diet types (vegan, vegetarian, omnivorous) and physical activity (PA) reports.

Methods

Following a cross-sectional study design incorporating an online survey, a sample of 1,041 academics from 52 institutes (mean age: 46.4 years) provided data on sociodemographic characteristics, dietary patterns, PA behavior, and other lifestyle behaviors (smoking, alcohol intake, etc.).

Results

The prevalence of vegetarian and vegan diets was 13.2 and 2.0%, respectively, and 33.2% of participants had excess body weight (BMI ≥ 25). The majority of participants (88.5%) reported regularly engaging in leisure-time PA, but 18.6% were active members of sports clubs. No difference between females and males was observed in diet type and the type of sport participation (p > 0.05). Participants with a mixed diet had a higher BMI than vegetarians and vegans (p < 0.05). Leisure-time PA participation was associated with more frequent fruit and vegetable intake (p < 0.05). The prevalence of smoking and alcohol intake was 13.1 and 73.5%, respectively, without any difference between dietary or sports participation subgroups (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

The present study provides an overview of the social trends in vegan and vegetarian diets linked to health behaviors in tertiary educational settings. Findings can be used by health scientists, decision-makers, and multipliers in health and education to improve public health.

Physical Activity in Adults with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Large Cross-Sectional Survey Exploring Patterns, Preferences, Barriers, and Motivating Factors

Adults with severe mental ill health may have specific attitudes toward physical activity. To inform intervention development, we conducted a survey to assess the physical activity patterns, preferences, barriers, and motivations of adults with severe mental ill health living in the community. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics, and logistic regressions were used to explore relationships between physical activity status and participant characteristics. Five-hundred and twenty-nine participants (58% male, mean age 49.3 years) completed the survey. Large numbers were insufficiently active and excessively sedentary. Self-reported levels of physical activity below that recommended in national guidelines were associated with professional inactivity, consumption of fewer than five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, older age, and poor mental health. Participants indicated a preference for low-intensity activities and physical activity that they can do on their own, at their own time and pace, and close to home. The most commonly endorsed source of support was social support from family and friends. Common motivations included improving mental health, physical fitness, and energy levels. However, poor mental and physical health and being too tired were also common barriers. These findings can inform the development of physical activity interventions for this group of people.

How the natural environment in downtown neighborhood affects physical activity and sentiment: Using social media data and machine learning

BACKGROUND

Natural environment might encourage physical exercise, hence enhancing human health and wellbeing. Social media offers an extensive repository of spatiotemporal data, containing details on the feelings and behaviors of individuals. However, investigations on physical activity and public sentiment in the natural environment of the downtown neighborhood are lacking in the existing literature.

METHODS

To extract environmental and behavioral information from social media data and other multi-source data, natural language processing, semantic segmentation, instance segmentation, and fully convolutional neural networks are employed. The research examines how neighborhood blue-green spaces and other health-promoting facilities affect physical activity and public sentiment.

RESULTS

The results reveal that blue space visibility, activity facilities, street furniture, and safety all have a favorable influence on physical activity with a social gradient. Amenities, perceived street safety and beauty positively correlated to public sentiment. The findings from social media about the environment and physical activity are consistent with traditional surveys from the same time period with a 0.588 kappa value.

CONCLUSION

According to our findings, social media data might be utilized to learn more about how urban environments influence people's physical activity patterns. Also, the health-promoting effects of blue space require more investigation.

Distance to sports facilities and low frequency of exercise and obesity: a cross-sectional study

Background

Little research has investigated the associations between proximity to physical activity facilities and behavior-related health and the majority have focused on proximity from home address. We add to the literature by examining proximity of these facilities to work and home address and including a wide range of physical activity facilities. We assess the associations for proximity of physical activity facilities from home and work address with self-reported frequency of exercise and obesity.

Methods

Our analytical sample of 7358 participants was from the 2018 wave of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health. We used logistic binomial regression adjusting for age, sex, education, civil status, individual socioeconomic status, neighborhood socioeconomic status, number of children under 12 years of age, work strain, and chronic disease.

Results

Longer distance from home to paid outdoor and paid indoor physical activity facilities was associated with low frequency of exercise (fully adjusted Relative Risk for both 1.01, 95% CI 1.01–1.02). Associations of any or free outdoor facility with low frequency of exercise were not robust. Findings also indicated associations between long distance from workplace to any and paid outdoor facility and low frequency of exercise. Results for obesity were in the similar direction, however, these were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Increased distance of paid outdoor and paid indoor physical activity facilities from home and of paid outdoor facilities from work was associated with low frequency of exercise. Longitudinal and larger studies are needed to confirm our findings, particularly regarding obesity.

The Influence of Physical Exercise Frequency and Intensity on Individual Entrepreneurial Behavior: Evidence from China

Physical exercise can benefit individuals' physical and mental health and also influence individuals' long-term behavioral choices. Doing exercise is particularly important given that physical exercise can impact individuals' cognitive abilities and positive emotional states, which may further impact entrepreneurial behavior. Therefore, understanding the relationship between exercise and entrepreneurial behavior is essential, because it can provide policy suggestions for popularizing athletic activities and boosting entrepreneurship. Consequently, the present study examined whether physical exercise could predict entrepreneurial behavior and the possible psychological mechanisms within this relationship. Based on the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS2017), this study tested the hypotheses using the Probit and Tobit models. The results showed that individuals' physical exercise intensity and frequency positively affected their entrepreneurial behavior. In addition, five variables moderated the relationships between physical exercise and individual entrepreneurial behavior: urban-rural differences, education level, marital status, the existence of minor children, and age. Moreover, positive emotions and physical/mental health mediated the influence of physical exercise (exercise frequency and exercise intensity) on individual entrepreneurial behavior. Endogeneity explanations were ruled out by including instrumental variable, copula terms and adopting coarsened exact matching.

Environmental inequity in hilly neighborhood using multi-source data from a health promotion view

The study focused on the justice of residents' opportunity to engage in healthy behavior under different environments is not vast, especially in a hilly dwelling environment. Therefore, this paper investigates environmental inequalities in a hilly urban environment in the context of the booming real estate market in China, comprised of health promotion-related elements, namely, built environment, physical activity facilities, street infrastructure, green spaces, and environmental perceptions. The multi-source data are used to calculate environmental attributes and the socioeconomic status of communities. We take the central districts of Dalian city as the research area and measure environmental equity across different socioeconomic residential areas using the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance. The results reveal the spatial disparities in physical activity facilities, street greening, and positive perceptions between different communities. However, green injustice is mitigated in the hilly neighborhoods when we consider only ground-level greenness. This paper studies environmental justice by taking a health-enhancing view, and the results of this study can provide guidance on hilly urban development for government leaders and planners.

Assessing equity of the spatial distribution of primary health care facilities in Fuzhou City, China: A comprehensive method

BACKGROUND

It is well known that equity assessment of the spatial distribution of primary health care facilities (PHCFs) is significant to optimize the allocation of health care resources and enhance the ability to react to public health emergencies, yet there is much discussion about the poor effectiveness of assessment for many cities due to the limitations of the insufficient ability of traditional data to reflect residents' demands, etc. In many cities where PHCFs are inequity distributed, this is urgently needed for the government.

METHODS

Using Fuzhou City, China as a case study, we propose a comprehensive method for assessing the equity that consisting of two frameworks based on the Geographic Information System. The first framework is assessing resident demand based on daily demand and potential demand, and the second is assessing PHCFs supply based on road impedance. This method combines an index system based on multi-source data and a spatial matching analysis between resident demand and PHCFs supply based on the supply-demand disparity index.

RESULTS

The demand degree for the PHCFs and the supply degree of accessing the PHCFs of different residential areas differ to great extents. The equity of the spatial distribution of PHCFs shows well overall, but there is still a lack of equity in local areas. The number of the residential areas with the lowest equity, insufficient supply and oversupply accounted for 10.31% and 39.00% respectively; the former is mainly gathered in a concentrated form at the edge and in a scattered form inside, and the latter is distributed in the interior mostly in a concentrated manner.

CONCLUSION

The key findings highlight several aspects of improving the layout of PHCFs such as strengthen an in-depth analysis on residents' demand. This study contributes to a more accurate equity assessment, and further improves the layout of health care facilities.

Children's perceptions of factors influencing their physical activity: a focus group study on primary school children

Purpose

Establishing healthy lifestyle behaviours in primary school children is important, as these behaviours are likely to track into adulthood. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing physical activity (PA) in primary school children through their perspectives.

Approach

Eleven focus group discussions and one interview were conducted with 52 children (n = 29 girls) aged 9–12 years from two primary schools in Singapore. Data analyses were conducted using thematic analysis, deductively following the socio-ecological model (SEM) and inductively for themes at each SEM level.

Results

At individual level, children’s perceived enjoyment, health benefits and expectation of rewards motivated them to engage in PA, while time constraints and their apathy towards PA hindered PA engagement. Children’s PA occasions at home were reported to be influenced by parental permission, priorities and availability, and the availability of preferred peers. Physical environmental factors such as opportunities for PA in school, access to facilities for PA and weather influenced children’s time spent on PA and the types of activities they engaged in.

Conclusion

This study summarized some factors that children have reported to influence their PA behaviour. These findings could help inform future interventions aimed at promoting PA among primary school children in Singapore.

Banks, alternative institutions and the spatial-temporal ecology of racial inequality in US cities

Research has made clear that neighbourhood conditions affect racial inequality. We examine how living in minority neighbourhoods affects ease of access to conventional banks versus alternative financial institutions (AFIs) such as check cashers and payday lenders, which some have called predatory. Based on more than 6 million queries, we compute the difference in the time required to walk, drive or take public transport to the nearest bank versus AFI from the middle of every block in each of 19 of the largest cities in the United States. The results suggest that race is strikingly more important than class: even after numerous conditions are accounted for, the AFI is more often closer than the bank in low-poverty racial/ethnic minority neighbourhoods than in high-poverty white ones. Results are driven not by the absence of banks but by the prevalence of AFIs in minority areas. Gaps appear too large to reflect simple differences in preferences.

Home and Neighborhood Physical Activity Location Availability among African American Adolescent Girls Living in Low-Income, Urban Communities: Associations with Objectively Measured Physical Activity

Based on the ecological model of active living, the neighborhood environment may relate to individual physical activity (PA) behaviors. The purposes of this study were to (1) generate a replicable neighborhood-level physical activity location availability score (PALAS) from data variables associated with physical activity among adolescents and adults, and apply this score to Baltimore City, Maryland, and (2) determine if relationships exist between PA and PA location availability. Geographic information systems (GISs) were used to create the PALAS. Using linear regression models, we examined relations between objectively measured PA among low-income, urban, predominantly African American adolescent girls (n = 555, 2009-2012 data collection), and the PALAS rating of their neighborhood environment (neighborhood PALAS) and their home neighborhood area (PALAS variables/subcomponents within 0.25 miles of the home). A PALAS map of the study area was created, illustrating neighborhoods varying in availability and variety of PA locations. After adjusting for confounders, a higher neighborhood PALAS (β = 0.10, p = 0.041) and the presence of a recreation center in the home neighborhood area (β = 0.46, p = 0.011) were associated with more minutes per day spent in moderate to vigorous PA. Policy makers and stakeholders should consider increasing access to PA locations as a strategy to promote PA among adolescent girls.

Home and Workplace Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Behavior-related Health: A Within-individual Analysis

Background

The influence of individual and home neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on health-related behaviors have been widely studied, but the majority of these studies have neglected the possible impact of the workplace neighborhood SES.

Objective

To examine within-individual associations between home and work place neighborhood SES and health-related behaviors in employed individuals.

Methods

We used participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health who responded to a minimum of two surveys between 2012 and 2018. Data included 12,932 individuals with a total of 35,332 observations. We used fixed-effects analysis with conditional logistic regression to examine within-individual associations of home, workplace, as well as time-weighted home and workplace neighborhood SES index, with self-reported obesity, physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and disturbed sleep.

Results

After adjustment for covariates, participants were more likely to engage in risky alcohol consumption when they worked in a workplace that was located in the highest SES area compared to time when they worked in a workplace that was located in the lowest SES area (adjusted odds ratios 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.12 to 3.49). There was an indication of an increased risk of obesity when individuals worked in the highest compared to the time when they worked in the lowest neighborhood SES area (1.71; 1.02–2.87). No associations were observed for the other outcomes.

Conclusion

These within-individual comparisons suggest that workplace neighborhood SES might have a role in health-related behaviors, particularly alcohol consumption.

Workplace neighbourhood built environment and workers' physically-active and sedentary behaviour: a systematic review of observational studies

Background

Many desk-based workers can spend more than half of their working hours sitting, with low levels of physical activity. Workplace neighbourhood built environment may influence workers’ physical activities and sedentary behaviours on workdays. We reviewed and synthesised evidence from observational studies on associations of workplace neighbourhood attributes with domain-specific physical activity and sedentary behaviour and suggested research priorities for improving the quality of future relevant studies.

Methods

Published studies were obtained from nine databases (PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, Transport Research International Documentation, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Embase, and CINAHL) and crosschecked by Google Scholar. Observational studies with quantitative analyses estimating associations between workplace neighbourhood built environment attributes and workers’ physical activity or sedentary behaviour were included. Studies were restricted to those published in English language peer-reviewed journals from 2000 to 2019.

Results

A total of 55 studies and 455 instances of estimated associations were included. Most instances of potential associations of workplace neighbourhood built environment attributes with total or domain-specific (occupational, transport, and recreational) physical activity were non-significant. However, destination-related attributes (i.e., longer distances from workplace to home and access to car parking) were positively associated with transport-related sedentary behaviour (i.e., car driving).

Conclusions

The findings reinforce the case for urban design policies on designing mixed-use neighbourhoods where there are opportunities to live closer to workplaces and have access to a higher density of shops, services, and recreational facilities. Studies strengthening correspondence between the neighbourhood built environment attributes and behaviours are needed to identify and clarify potential relationships.

Protocol registration

The protocol of this systematic review was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 2 December 2019 (registration number: CRD42019137341).

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12966-020-01055-x.

Adults' leisure-time physical activity and the neighborhood built environment: a contextual perspective

BACKGROUND

Context-free outcome measures, such as overall leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), are habitually applied to study the neighborhood built environment correlates of physical activity. This cross sectional study identifies and empirically tests potential methodological limitations related to the use of context-free measures and discusses how these may help in the interpretation of inconsistent associations between participation in moderate-to-vigorous LTPA and objectively measured neighborhood-level built environment attributes.

METHODS

We employ a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS), an advanced participatory mapping method, to study the spatial distribution of moderate-to-vigorous LTPA among adult urban Finnish residents (n 1322). Secondary sources of GIS land-use and sport facility data were used to disaggregate respondent-mapped LTPA by the behavioral context, such as indoor and outdoor sport facilities, green spaces, and other public open spaces. Associations between the use of the identified LTPA settings and a range of objectively measured neighborhood built environment attributes were studied with multilevel logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Disaggregated by behavioral context, we observed varied and partly opposite built environment correlates for LTPA. The use of indoor and outdoor sport facilities showed no significant associations with their neighborhood availability, but were significantly associated with personal-level attributes. By contrast, participation in LTPA in green and built public open space shared significant associations with access to and availability of neighborhood green space that persisted after controlling for personal-level covariates. Moreover, neighborhood distances up to 1600 m poorly captured participation in moderate-to-vigorous LTPA, as, on average, 40% of visits were located further from home. However, we found the immediate home environment to be an important LTPA setting for the least active participants.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that LTPA can be a highly heterogeneous measure regarding both the spatial distribution and the environmental correlates of behavioral contexts. The results show that context-free LTPA outcome measures yield inconsistent associations with built environment exposure variables, challenging the applicability of such measures in designing neighborhood-level built environment interventions.

The association between spatial access to physical activity facilities within home and workplace neighborhoods and time spent on physical activities: evidence from Guangzhou, China

BACKGROUND

Urban residents from the developing world have increasingly adopted a sedentary lifestyle and spend less time on physical activities (PA). Previous studies on the association between PA facilities and individuals' PA levels are based on the assumption that individuals have opportunities to use PA facilities within neighborhoods all day long, ignoring the fact that their willingness and opportunities to use nearby facilities depend on how much discretionary time (any time when people have a choice what to do) they have. Further, scant attention has been paid to the influence of PA facilities within both residential and workplace neighborhoods in the dense urban context. To address the above research gaps, this study investigated the links between the spatial access to PA facilities within home/workplace neighborhoods and time spent on PA among working adults, focusing on whether results were different when different measures of accessibility were used and whether participants' discretionary time over a week affected their time spent on PA.

METHOD

This study used data from a questionnaire survey (n = 1002) in Guangzhou between June and July 2017 and point of interest (POI) data from online mapping resources. Outcome variables included the amount of time spent on physical activity/moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity (PA/MVPA) over the past week. Home/workplace neighborhoods were measured as different distance buffers (500 m circular buffers, 1000 m circular buffers, and 1080 m network buffers) around each respondent's home/workplace. Spatial access to PA facilities was measured using two indicators: the counts of PA facilities and proximity to PA facilities within home/workplace neighborhoods. The amount of discretionary time was calculated based on activity log data of working day/weekend day from the Guangzhou questionnaire survey, and regression models were used to examine relationships between the spatial access of PA facilities, the time spent on PA/MVPA, and the amount of discretionary time, adjusted for covariates. Associations were stratified by gender, age, education, and income.

RESULTS

Using different measures of accessibility (the counts of and proximity to PA facilities) generated different results. Specifically, participants spent more time on PA/MVPA when they lived in neighborhoods with more PA facilities and spent more time on MVPA when worked in closer proximity to PA facilities. A larger amount of discretionary time was associated with more time spent on PA/MVPA, but it did not strengthen the relationship between access to PA facilities and PA/MVPA time. In addition, relationships between access to PA facilities and PA levels varied by gender, age, education, and income.

CONCLUSION

This study contributes to the knowledge of PA-promoting environments by considering both the home and workplace contexts and by taking into account the temporal attributes of contextual influences. Policymakers and urban planners are advised to take into account the workplace context and the temporal variability of neighborhood influences when allocating public PA facilities and public spaces.

An Exploration of Spatial and Social Inequalities of Urban Sports Facilities in Nanning City, China

Health and well-being have become important dimensions of urban sustainability, particularly in countries with rapid urbanization and aging populations. As such, providing opportunities for physical activity and exercise has become a priority in the planning and governance of Healthy City in these countries. Relatively little research has investigated the provision of sports facilities in developing countries. This paper seeks to address this gap by exploring the spatial and social inequality of sports facilities at the urban scale using Nanning City in South China as a case study. Spatial aggregate analyses, including an allocation index, accessibility, diversity, and geographically weighted regression, were applied to mixed data sets from primary and secondary sources from 2018. The results confirmed a strong inequality of sports facilities provision across the study area and between age groups. This study suggests that the reduction of inequality and the improvement of equity and social justice should consider the spatial and social matches between demand and supply, through increasing sports facilities investment intensity and road network density.

The spatial justice in the distribution of built outdoor sports facilities

Purpose

Sports facilities can play a vital role in encouraging physical activity and sport. Also, just the distribution of sports facilities is very important for better access to these facilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate spatial justice in the distribution of built outdoor sports facilities in the city of Isfahan, Iran and provide insight for planning in terms of equitable accessibility.

Design/methodology/approach

All facilities located in the 15 areas of the city, whether private or public, built for the purpose of physical activity and sports programs were considered in this study (107 cases). To obtain information on the locations of the outdoor sports facilities, Isfahan Atlas data, which has been compiled by Isfahan Municipality was used. Arc geographic information systems environment and its different algorithms were also used to perform different calculations and prepare maps.

Findings

The results indicated the unfair distribution of built outdoor sports facilities in the city of Isfahan in terms of spatial justice based on the number of built outdoor sports facilities in each area, the population, land area, population density and the spatial pattern of the facilities.

Practical implications

In this regard, urban authorities and sport managers should make an effort to decrease or obviate inequity in access to outdoor sports facilities for the purpose of promoting participation in physical activity and sport and providing residents with numerous other benefits.

Originality/value

This paper has concluded that spatial justice in the distribution of built outdoor sports facilities for the improvement of access to these facilities is very important.