Abstract
BackgroundOver a third of the Scottish population do not meet physical activity (PA) recommendations, with a greater proportion of those from disadvantaged areas not meeting recommended levels. There is a great need for detailed understanding of why some people are active while others are not. It has been established that features within home neighbourhoods are important for promoting PA, and although around 60% of time spent in exercise daily is undertaken outside the residential environment, relatively little research includes both home and workplace neighbourhood contexts. This study utilised an existing west central Scotland survey and spatial data on PA facilities to examine whether, for working adults, there are links between access to facilities, within home and workplace neighbourhoods, and frequency of PA, and whether such associations differ by socio-economic group.MethodsUsing a Geographic Information System (GIS), home and workplace postcodes of a sub-sample of ‘Transport, Health and Well-being’ 2010 study respondents (n = 513) were mapped, along with public (i.e. public-sector funded) and private (i.e. private-sector funded) PA facilities (e.g. sports halls, gyms, pools etc.) within 800 m and 1600 m path/street network buffers of home and workplace postcodes. Using Analysis of Variance, associations between spatial access to PA facilities (i.e. facility counts within buffers) and self-reported PA (i.e. days being physically active in past month) were analysed. Models were run separately for access to any, public, private, and home, workplace, and home/workplace facilities. Associations were examined for all respondents, and stratified by age and income deprivation.ResultsRespondents’ PA frequency was associated with spatial access to specific types of facilities near home and near home or workplace (combined). In general, PA frequency was higher where individuals lived/worked in closer proximity to private facilities and frequency lower where individuals lived/worked nearby to public facilities. Results varied by age and income deprivation sub-groups.ConclusionThis research contributes to methods exploring neighbourhood contextual influences on PA behaviour; it goes beyond a focus upon home neighbourhoods and incorporates access to workplace neighbourhood facilities. Results demonstrate the importance of examining both neighbourhood types, and such findings may feed into planning for behaviour-change interventions within both spaces.
Highlights
Over a third of the Scottish population do not meet physical activity (PA) recommendations, with a greater proportion of those from disadvantaged areas not meeting recommended levels
Research undertaken in Aichi, Japan, found an association between PA and home neighbourhood sports facility access which did not exist for work neighbourhood facility access; the authors hypothesised that the lack of association could be partly due to limited time for exercise during the working day [36]
The study contributes to the limited research on associations between built environment features and exercise frequency within the context of west central Scotland and contributes to methods exploring the neighbourhood context in influencing PA behaviour, going beyond a focus solely upon the home neighbourhood by incorporating access to facilities within workplace neighbourhoods where individuals may spend much of their day
Summary
Over a third of the Scottish population do not meet physical activity (PA) recommendations, with a greater proportion of those from disadvantaged areas not meeting recommended levels. It has been established that features within home neighbourhoods are important for promoting PA, and around 60% of time spent in exercise daily is undertaken outside the residential environment, relatively little research includes both home and workplace neighbourhood contexts. Regardless of the benefits of activity, it is estimated that more than half of individuals across Europe do not meet recommended activity levels, with little sign of positive change in adherence [3]. Previous analyses of associations between the built environment and subsequent PA [such as walking or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)], has included environmental characteristics such as street connectivity, residential density, net retail, and land use, greenery, presence of cycle paths, sidewalk/ pavement availability, spatial access to recreational or exercise facilities etc. Many built environment features have been found to be positively associated with PA [10,11,12,13,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
