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Associations of children's perceived neighborhood environments with walking and physical activity
journal contribution
posted on 2007-01-01, 00:00 authored by Clare Hume, Jo SalmonJo Salmon, Kylie BallKylie BallPurpose. To examine associations between children's perceptions of the neighborhood environment and walking and physical activity.
Design. Cross-sectional study of a school-based sample.
Setting. Elementary schools in Melbourne, Australia.
Subjects. 280 children aged 10 years (response rate 78%).
Measures. A self-report survey assessed children's perceptions of the neighborhood physical and social environments and their weekly walking frequency. Physical activity was also objectively measured using accelerometers.
Results. Multiple linear regression analyses showed a positive association between walking frequency and the number of accessible destinations in the neighborhood among boys; having a neighborhood that was easy to walk/cycle around and perceiving lots of graffiti were positively associated with walking frequency among girls. Perceiving lots of litter and rubbish was positively associated with boys' overall physical activity, but no environmental variables were associated with girls' overall physical activity.
Conclusion. Several different environmental factors were associated with walking and physical activity. Perceptions of the neighborhood environment were more strongly associated with girls' walking than with objectively-measured physical activity. Future studies should confirm these findings using objective measures and prospective study designs.
Design. Cross-sectional study of a school-based sample.
Setting. Elementary schools in Melbourne, Australia.
Subjects. 280 children aged 10 years (response rate 78%).
Measures. A self-report survey assessed children's perceptions of the neighborhood physical and social environments and their weekly walking frequency. Physical activity was also objectively measured using accelerometers.
Results. Multiple linear regression analyses showed a positive association between walking frequency and the number of accessible destinations in the neighborhood among boys; having a neighborhood that was easy to walk/cycle around and perceiving lots of graffiti were positively associated with walking frequency among girls. Perceiving lots of litter and rubbish was positively associated with boys' overall physical activity, but no environmental variables were associated with girls' overall physical activity.
Conclusion. Several different environmental factors were associated with walking and physical activity. Perceptions of the neighborhood environment were more strongly associated with girls' walking than with objectively-measured physical activity. Future studies should confirm these findings using objective measures and prospective study designs.
History
Journal
American journal of health promotionVolume
21Issue
3Pagination
201 - 207Publisher
American Journal of Health PromotionLocation
Birmingham, MIISSN
0890-1171eISSN
2168-6602Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2007 by American Journal of Health Promotion, Inc.Usage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
childneighborhoodenvironmentphysical activityprevention researchhealth focus : physical activitymanuscript format : researchoutcome measure : behavioralresearch purpose : descriptivesetting : schoolstudy design : nonexperimentaltarget population age : youthtarget population circumstances : education\/income levelgeographic locationrace\/ethnicityScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicinePublic, Environmental & Occupational HealthLOCAL NEIGHBORHOODSEDENTARY BEHAVIORLEISURE ACTIVITIESADOLESCENTSPERCEPTIONSSCHOOLSTABILITYVALIDITYYOUTHHOME
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