A Participatory Assessment of Perceived Neighbourhood Walkability in a Small Urban Environment

Walkability has become a research topic of great concern for preserving public health, especially in the era of the COVID-19 outbreak. Today more than ever, urban and transport policies, constrained by social distancing measures and travel restrictions, must be conceptualized and implemented with a particular emphasis on sustainable walkability. Most of the walkability models apply observation and subjective methods to measure walkability, whereas few studies address walkability based on sense perception. To fill this gap, we aim at investigating the perceived neighbourhood walkability (PNW) based on sense perception in a neighbourhood of Brussels. We designed a survey that integrates 22 items grouped into 5 dimensions (cleanness, visual aesthetics, landscape and nature, feeling of pressure, feeling of safety), as well as the socio-demographic attributes of the participants. Using various statistical methods, we show that socio-demographics have almost no effects on perceived neighbourhood walkability. Nonetheless, we found significant differences between groups of different educational backgrounds. Furthermore, using a binomial regression model, we found strong associations between PNW and at least one item from each grouping dimension. Finally, we show that based on a deep neural network for classification, the items have good predictive capabilities (78% of classification accuracy). These findings can help integrate sense perception into objective measurement methods of walkable environments. Additionally, policy recommendations should be targeted based on differences of perception across socio-demographic groups.

Questing a walkable city: a case of urban neighbourhood walkability environment in Bangladesh

Purpose What makes neighbourhood environment more walkable is an important question for urban planning and design research. The purpose of this paper is to explore this question through a case study of urban sidewalks in different contexts of urban neighbourhoods in Rajshahi city of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach Using participatory observation, Google street view and photography techniques, it examines the quality of the street facilities by demonstrating physical attributes of sidewalks and by analysing how various obstructions on them characterize neighbourhood walkability environment. Findings The findings suggest that the unusable sidewalks in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh, are a production of inadequate and inappropriate planning and design that unable to capitalize the functionality of sidewalks as a means of walking. It further argues that the urban planners and designers of streets have paid little attention to the diverse requirements of sidewalks in accordance with spatial and socio-economic categories of urban neighbourhoods. Originality/value This study adds insights about the urban sidewalks planning and design in the context of a developing country. It provides an empirical evidence about the constraints and potentials of making a walkable city.

1185The association between neighbourhood built environment and health-related fitness: A systematic review

Background Few studies have investigated potential links between the built environment and health-related fitness, even though there is some evidence linking neighbourhood built environments to physical activity behaviors and chronic health conditions. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines eight databases were searched from inception to August 2020 using a combination of built environment and health-related fitness terms. Inclusion criteria was limited to quantitative studies that sampled of adults aged 18 years or older with no physical disabilities or health issues that may impact health-related fitness. Results Of the 26,219 citations identified within our comprehensive search, 25 studies met eligibility and underwent data extraction and quality assessment. Objectively measured built environment characteristics (e.g., improved sidewalks, higher street connectivity, older neighbourhoods, higher residential density, and higher land use mix) were associated with increased flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, grip strength, and body composition. Moreover, perceptions of neighbourhood features such as higher neighbourhood walkability, greater park access and quality, and lower neighbourhood crime, were associated with increased perceived cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, and overall fitness. However, many of these findings were from cross-sectional studies where adjustment for key confounders varied. Results also varied by sex in the small number of studies that provided sex-specific stratifications. Conclusions This project may help elucidate the pathway between the built environment and health-related fitness. Key messages Neighbourhood built environment features are associated with aspects of health-related fitness.

596Two approaches for estimating propensity score weights for examining neighbourhood built environment and walking changes

Background Walking is associated with the built environment, however, this association may be biased by residential self-selection. This study examined how walking duration changed with residential relocation, while accounting for unbalanced covariates that may contribute to residential self-selection, using two different propensity score inverse probability weight (IPW) methods. Methods Urban participants (n = 703) of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project with pre- and post-relocation neighbourhood built environment and walking data were included. A walkability index was created by aggregating estimates for population density, street connectivity, and destination diversity. Participants were categorized into three groups based on change in residential walkability (decreased, minimal change, or increased). The association between changes in walkability and walking duration (min/week) was modelled with linear regression. Two types of IPWs were applied: 1) manually generated from multinomial regression models, and 2) generated from generalized boosted models. Results All three groups increased walking duration from pre- to post-relocation, however the largest increase was among participants who had increased walkability (M = 73.2, SD = 388), followed by those with minimal change (M = 60.0, SD = 382) and decreased (M = 50.2, SD = 374) walkability. Longitudinal associations between walkability change and walking were not statistically significant (p < 0.05) in models with or without IPWs. Conclusions Changes in neighbourhood walkability were not associated with changes in walking, regardless of how the sample was weighted. Further research should examine changes in the neighbourhood environment with different types of walking and physical activity behaviours. Key messages IPW methods can be used to account for unbalanced covariates in analyses that involve possible self-selection bias.

Associations of changes in neighbourhood walkability with changes in walking activity in older adults: a fixed effects analysis

Background Supporting older adults to engage in physically active lifestyles requires supporting environments. Walkable environments may increase walking activity in older adults, but evidence for this subgroup is scarce, and longitudinal studies are lacking. This study therefore examined whether changes in neighbourhood walkability were associated with changes in walking activity in older adults, and whether this association differed by individual-level characteristics and by contextual conditions beyond the built environment. Methods Data from 668 participants (57.8–93.4 years at baseline) across three waves (2005/06, 2008/09 and 2011/12) of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used. These individuals did not relocate during follow-up. Self-reported outdoor walking activity in minutes per week was assessed using the LASA Physical Activity Questionnaire. Composite exposure measures of neighbourhood walkability (range: 0 (low)-100 (high)) within 500-m Euclidean buffer zones around each participant’s residential address were constructed by combining objectively measured high-resolution Geographic Information System data on population density, retail and service destination density, land use mix, street connectivity, green space density, and sidewalk density. Fixed effects linear regression analyses were applied, adjusted for relevant time-varying confounders. Results Changes in neighbourhood walkability were not statistically significantly associated with changes in walking activity in older adults (β500m = − 0.99, 95% CI = -6.17–4.20). The association of changes in neighbourhood walkability with changes in walking activity did not differ by any of the individual-level characteristics (i.e., age, sex, educational level, cognitive impairment, mobility disability, and season) and area-level characteristics (i.e., road traffic noise, air pollution, and socioeconomic status). Conclusions This study did not show evidence for an association between changes in neighbourhood walkability and changes in walking activity in older adults. If neighbourhood walkability and walking activity are causally linked, then changes in neighbourhood walkability between 2005/06 and 2011/12 might have been not substantial enough to produce meaningful changes in walking activity in older adults.

Factors related to functional exercise capacity amongst people with HIV in Durban, South Africa

Background: People with HIV (PWH), who engage in regular physical activity, have improved fitness, muscular strength, body composition, health-related quality of life and mental health symptoms, but PWH have amongst the lowest physical activity levels of those with any chronic health condition. Furthermore, there is scant evidence examining these relationships in PWH in Africa.Aim: To address these critical gaps, this cross-sectional descriptive research study examined the relationships between demographic, HIV-related, anthropometric factors, neighbourhood walkability and physical activity, amongst PWH in Durban, South Africa.Setting: Respondents (N = 100) were receiving primary healthcare in six eThekwini nurse-run municipal clinics.Methods: Self-reported socio-demographic data were collected, and HIV-related medical data were extracted from respondent’s medical charts. Height and weight were measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI, kg/m2); neighbourhood walkability was measured on the Neighbourhood Environment scale; and physical activity, specifically functional exercise capacity, was measured by the 6-min walk test (6MWT).Results: On average, respondents were black African, female, approximately 38 years old and unemployed; men were of normal weight whilst women were overweight. Only 65% of the respondents reached the age- and sex-predicted distance during the 6MWT. Correlational analyses did not reveal any significant relationships between the functional exercise capacity and socio-demographic, HIV-related factors or anthropometric measures.Conclusion: South African PWH do not reach their predicated walking distance on the 6MWT. Engaging community agencies to promote walking as both a means of transportation and leisure physical activity may decrease the risks of a sedentary lifestyle and improve progression towards recommended physical activity targets.

Influence Of Geographical Area And Living Setting On Weight Status, Gross Motor Coordination And Physical Activity Level Of Italian School Children: The Neighbourhood Walkability Approach

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in childhood is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide, particularly in industrialized countries. Walkability measurements can be collected using the free open software Walk Score® that permit the measure of estimating neighbourhood walkability in many geographic locations. This study was aimed i) to investigate whether differences between rural and urban settings in the North, Centre and South of Italy could influence body-weight status, motor competence and physical activity (PA) level in school-age children; ii) to analyse the walkability of different school areas, and iii) to examine the relationship of motor competence, PA level, geographical areas, living setting, and neighbourhood walkability with children’s body-weight status. Methods: We assessed anthropometric parameters, gross motor coordination and PA level in 1549 children aged between 8 and 13 year. Three geographical areas (North, Centre, South of Italy), two settings (urban and rural) and neighbourhoods’ walkability (Walk Score®) were considered in the analysis. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 22.0% and 9.9%, respectively; 47.9% of the total sample showed motor impairments and 29.0% was inactive. Central children had higher BMI than Northern and Southern children. Northern children showed the highest MQ and PA level, followed by Southern and Central children. Children from the South of Italy attended schools located in neighbourhoods with the highest Walk Score®. Urban children attended schools located in neighbourhoods with a higher Walk Score® than rural children. Lower MQ, lower PA level, living in rural setting and in a car-dependent neighbourhood were associated with a higher relative risk for obesity. Being a girl was associated with a lower relative risk for obesity.Conclusions: The alarming high percentage of overweight and obesity in children as well as motor coordination impairments revealed the urgent need of targeted PA interventions in paediatric population.