The Contribution of the Built Environment to Physical Activity Among Young Women

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 811-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Cohen ◽  
Bing Han ◽  
Lisa Kraus ◽  
Deborah Rohm Young

Physical activity (PA) tends to decline with age, but changes are influenced by individual and contextual factors. Identifying the relative contributions of each may be useful in addressing inactivity. We studied the degree to which changes in the built environment were associated with changes in PA among young women maturing from adolescence to adulthood. We followed a cohort of young women who participated in the Maryland site of the Trial of Activity of Adolescent Girls in 11th grade (ages 16-17 years) and again at ages 22 to 23. Participants wore accelerometers for 1 week in 2009 and in 2015 and answered questionnaires about their daily lives. We found that living closer to mass transit, sports, and recreational facilities was associated with more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Individual-level factors were strongly associated with MVPA as well.

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 950-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Young ◽  
Brit I. Saksvig ◽  
Tong Tong Wu ◽  
Kathleen Zook ◽  
Xia Li ◽  
...  

Background:We examined associations among multilevel variables and girls’ physical activity to determine whether they vary at different adolescent ages.Methods:All field sites of the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls contributed participants from 6th (n = 1576) and 8th grades (n = 3085). The Maryland site contributed an 11th grade sample (n = 589). Questionnaires were used to obtain demographic and psychosocial information (individual- and social-level variables); height, weight, and triceps skinfold to assess body composition; interviews and surveys for school-level data; and geographical information systems and self-report for neighborhood-level variables. Moderate to vigorous physical activity minutes (MVPA) were assessed from accelerometers. Mixed models (13 individual, 5 social, 15 school, 12 neighborhood variables) were used to determine multilevel associations.Results:Variables at individual, social, school, and neighborhood levels were associated with MVPA, but differed across grades. Lower percent body fat, higher social support from friends, and lower school math scores were associated with higher MVPA at 6th and 8th grade. Higher physical activity self-efficacy was associated with higher MVPA at 11th grade. Only lower physical activity barriers were associated with higher MVPA at all grades.Conclusion:MVPA is a complex behavior with fluid, multilevel correlates that differ among girls across middle and high school.


Author(s):  
Hilde L Nashandi ◽  
John J Reilly ◽  
Xanne Janssen

Abstract Background Monitoring population-level physical activity is crucial for examining adherence to global guidelines and addressing obesity. This study validated self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) against an accurate device-based method in Namibia. Methods Adolescent girls (n = 52, mean age 16.2 years [SD 1.6]) and adult women (n = 51, mean age 31.3 years [SD 4.7]) completed the PACE+/GPAQ self-report questionnaires and were asked to wear an Actigraph accelerometer for 7 days. Validity of self-reported MVPA was assessed using rank-order correlations between self-report and accelerometry, and classification ability of the questionnaires with Mann–Whitney tests, kappa’s, sensitivity and specificity. Results In the adolescents, Spearman’s rank coefficients between self-reported MVPA (days/week) and accelerometry measured MVPA were positive but not significant (r = 0.240; P = 0.104). In the adults, self-reported MVPA (minutes/day) was moderately and significantly correlated with accelerometer-measured MVPA (r = 0.396; P = 0.008). In both groups, there was fair agreement between accelerometry and questionnaire-defined tertiles of MVPA (adolescents κ = 0.267; P = 0.010; adults κ = 0.284; P = 0.008), and measured MVPA was significantly higher in the individuals self-reporting higher MVPA than those reporting lower MVPA. Conclusions The PACE+ and GPAQ questionnaires have a degree of validity in adolescent girls and adult females in Namibia, though more suitable for population than individual level measurement.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Meseck ◽  
Marta M. Jankowska ◽  
Jasper Schipperijn ◽  
Loki Natarajan ◽  
Suneeta Godbole ◽  
...  

The main purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of global positioning system (GPS) signal lapse on physical activity analyses, discover any existing associations between missing GPS data and environmental and demographics attributes, and to determine whether imputation is an accurate and viable method for correcting GPS data loss. Accelerometer and GPS data of 782 participants from 8 studies were pooled to represent a range of lifestyles and interactions with the built environment. Periods of GPS signal lapse were identified and extracted. Generalised linear mixed models were run with the number of lapses and the length of lapses as outcomes. The signal lapses were imputed using a simple ruleset, and imputation was validated against person-worn camera imagery. A final generalised linear mixed model was used to identify the difference between the amount of GPS minutes pre- and post-imputation for the activity categories of sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Over 17% of the dataset was comprised of GPS data lapses. No strong associations were found between increasing lapse length and number of lapses and the demographic and built environment variables. A significant difference was found between the pre- and postimputation minutes for each activity category. No demographic or environmental bias was found for length or number of lapses, but imputation of GPS data may make a significant difference for inclusion of physical activity data that occurred during a lapse. Imputing GPS data lapses is a viable technique for returning spatial context to accelerometer data and improving the completeness of the dataset.


Author(s):  
Masashi Kanai ◽  
Kazuhiro P. Izawa ◽  
Hiroki Kubo ◽  
Masafumi Nozoe ◽  
Kyoshi Mase ◽  
...  

There is little evidence on how perceptions of the built environment may influence physical activity among post-stroke patients. This study aimed to explore the associations between perceived built environment attributes and objectively measured physical activity outcomes in community-dwelling ambulatory patients with stroke. This cross-sectional study recruited patients who could walk outside without assistance. We assessed both objectively measured physical activity outcomes such as number of steps and duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with an accelerometer and the patients’ perceived surrounding built environment with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Environmental Module. Sixty-one patients (67.0 years old) were included. The multiple linear regression analysis showed significant associations of the presence of sidewalks (β = 0.274, p = 0.016) and access to recreational facilities (β = 0.284, p = 0.010) with the number of steps taken (adjusted R2 = 0.33). In contrast, no significant associations were found between perceived built environment attributes and MVPA. These findings may help to suggest an approach to promote appropriate physical activity in patients with stroke depending on their surrounding built environment.


Author(s):  
Ruth Salway ◽  
Lydia Emm-Collison ◽  
Simon J. Sebire ◽  
Janice L. Thompson ◽  
Deborah A. Lawlor ◽  
...  

Physical activity is influenced by individual, inter-personal and environmental factors. In this paper, we explore the variability in children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) at different individual, parent, friend, school and neighbourhood levels. Valid accelerometer data were collected for 1077 children aged 9, and 1129 at age 11, and the average minutes of MVPA were derived for weekdays and weekends. We used a multiple-membership, multiple-classification model (MMMC) multilevel model to compare the variation in physical activity outcomes at each of the different levels. There were differences in the proportion of variance attributable to the different levels between genders, for weekdays and weekends, at ages 9 and 11. The largest proportion of variability in MVPA was attributable to individual variation, accounting for half of the total residual variability for boys, and two thirds of the variability for girls. MVPA clustered within friendship groups, with friends influencing peer MVPA. Including covariates at the different levels explained only small amounts (3%–13%) of variability. There is a need to enhance our understanding of individual level influences on children’s physical activity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 493-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Conroy ◽  
Steriani Elavsky ◽  
Shawna E. Doerksen ◽  
Jaclyn P. Maher

Social-cognitive theories, such as the theory of planned behavior, posit intentions as proximal influences on physical activity (PA). This paper extends those theories by examining within-person variation in intentions and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as a function of the unfolding constraints in people’s daily lives (e.g., perceived time availability, fatigue, soreness, weather, overeating). College students (N = 63) completed a 14-day diary study over the Internet that rated daily motivation, contextual constraints, and MVPA. Key findings from multilevel analyses were that (1) between-person differences represented 46% and 33% of the variability in daily MVPA intentions and behavior, respectively; (2) attitudes, injunctive norms, self-efficacy, perceptions of limited time availability, and weekend status predicted daily changes in intention strength; and (3) daily changes in intentions, perceptions of limited time availability, and weekend status predicted day-to-day changes in MVPA. Embedding future motivation and PA research in the context of people’s daily lives will advance understanding of individual PA change processes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. S129-S138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Cohen ◽  
Scott Ashwood ◽  
Molly Scott ◽  
Adrian Overton ◽  
Kelly R. Evenson ◽  
...  

Background:Proximity to routine destinations is an important correlate of physical activity. We examined the association between distance from school and physical activity in adolescent girls.Methods:We mapped the addresses of 1554 sixth-grade girls who participated in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) Study and calculated the shortest distance from home to school along the street network. Using a hierarchical design we examined the association between MET-weighted moderate to vigorous physical activity (MW- MVPA) and distance to school, while controlling for potential confounders.Results:Distance to school was inversely associated with weekday MW- MVPA for middle school girls. For every mile the girls lived from their schools, they engaged in an average of 13 fewer MET-weighted minutes per week.Conclusions:Distance to school is inversely associated with MW-MVPA. The most adversely affected girls lived more than 5 miles from school. Time spent commuting could explain reduced time for physical activity.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Nichol ◽  
Ian Janssen ◽  
William Pickett

Background:The safety of neighborhoods and availability of parks and facilities may influence adolescent physical activity independently or interactively.Methods:9114 Canadians in grades 6 to 10 completed the 2006 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey. The outcome of interest was students’ self-reported participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity outside of school. A composite scale based on questions measuring student perceptions of safety was used to capture individual perceptions of safety. In addition, schools were grouped into quintiles based on the mean of the perceived safety scale, used as a proxy for peer perceptions. The number of parks and recreational facilities within 5 km of schools was abstracted from a geographical information system.Results:Moderate gradients in physical activity were observed according to individual and group perceptions of safety. Boys and girls with the highest perceptions of safety were 1.31 (95% CI: 1.17−1.45) and 1.45 (1.26−1.65) times more likely to be physically active, respectively, than those with the lowest perceptions. Compared with those who perceived the neighborhood as least safe, elementary students in higher quintiles were 1.31, 1.39, 1.37, and 1.56 times more likely to be physically active (Ptrend = 0.012). Increased numbers of recreational features were not related to physical activity irrespective of neighborhood safety.Conclusions:Individual and group perceptions of neighborhood safety were modestly associated with adolescents’ physical activity.


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