Objective Measures of Neighborhood Environment and Self-Reported Physical Activity in Spinal Cord Injured Men

Background:Concurrent validity of Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) items was evaluated with objective measures of the built environment using geographic information systems (GIS).Methods:A sample of 878 parents of children 10 to 16 years old (mean age 43.5 years, SD = 6.8, 34.8% non-White, 63.8% overweight) completed NEWS and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. GIS was used to develop 1-mile street network buffers around participants’ residences. GIS measures of the built environment within participants’ buffers included percent of commercial and institutional land uses; number of schools and colleges, recreational facilities, parks, transit stops, and trees; land topography; and traffic congestion.Results:Except for trees and traffic, concordance between the NEWS and GIS measures were significant, with weak to moderate effect sizes (r = −0.09 to −0.36, all P ≤ 01). After participants were stratified by physical activity level, stronger concordance was observed among active participants for some measures. A sensitivity analysis of self-reported distance to 15 neighborhood destinations found a 20-minute (compared with 10- or 30-minute) walking threshold generally had the strongest correlations with GIS measures.Conclusions:These findings provide evidence of the concurrent validity of self-reported built environment items with objective measures. Physically active adults may be more knowledgeable about their neighborhood characteristics.

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Physical Activity In The Spinal Cord Injured

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ◽

10.1249/00005768-200505001-00925 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 37 (Supplement) ◽

pp. S177

Author(s):

Eileen G. Collins ◽

Karla Hanson ◽

Christine Bammert ◽

W. Edwin Langbein

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Spinal Cord ◽

Spinal Cord Injured

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Positive Association of Physical Activity with Both Objective and Perceived Measures of the Neighborhood Environment among Older Adults: The Aichi Workers’ Cohort Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17217971 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (21) ◽

pp. 7971

Author(s):

Yuanying Li ◽

Hiroshi Yatsuya ◽

Tomoya Hanibuchi ◽

Atsuhiko Ota ◽

Hisao Naito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Positive Association ◽

Neighborhood Environment ◽

Green Spaces ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Objective Measures ◽

Japanese Adults ◽

Japanese Residents

We examined the association between objective and perceived neighborhood characteristics and self-reported leisure-time physical activity (PA) in older Japanese residents living in areas ranging from metropolitan to rural in 2016. Objective measures used were walkability and the numbers of parks/green spaces and sports facilities within 500 or 1000 m of subjects’ homes, calculated using geographic information systems. Subjective measures were the subjects’ perceptions of their neighborhoods, assessed using a structured questionnaire. All variables were divided into three groups, and the lowest tertile was used as the reference. We assessed the location and frequency of strolling or brisk walking, moderate-intensity PA, and vigorous-intensity PA (sports) using a self-reported questionnaire and defined as performing a certain type of PA 3–4 times/week as a habit. Living in a neighborhood in the highest tertile for walkability and number of parks/green spaces as well as perception of having good access to recreational facilities, observing others exercising and the presence of walkable sidewalks was associated with walking and sports habits (multivariable odds ratios (ORs): 1.33–2.46, all p < 0.05). Interestingly, objective measures of PA-friendly environmental features were inversely associated with moderate-intensity PA habits, potentially because moderate-intensity PA consisted predominantly of gardening. In conclusion, living in an environment supportive of PA, whether objectively or subjectively measured, is related to leisure-time PA habits among older Japanese adults.

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