Built Environment Influences of Children’s Physical Activity: Examining Differences by Neighbourhood Size and Sex

Christine Mitchell,Jason Gilliland,Andrew Clark

doi:10.3390/ijerph13010130

Abstract

Neighbourhoods can facilitate or constrain moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among children by providing or restricting opportunities for MVPA. However, there is no consensus on how to define a child’s neighbourhood. This study examines the influence of the neighbourhood built environment on objectively measured MVPA among 435 children (aged 9–14 years) in London (ON, Canada). As there is no consensus on how to delineate a child’s neighbourhood, a geographic information system was used to generate measures of the neighbourhood built environment at two buffer sizes (500 m and 800 m) around each child’s home. Linear regression models with robust standard errors (cluster) were used to analyze the relationship between built environment characteristics and average daily MVPA during non-school hours on weekdays. Sex-stratified models assessed sex-specific relationships. When accounting for individual and neighbourhood socio-demographic variables, park space and multi-use path space were found to influence children’s MVPA. Sex-stratified models found significant associations between MVPA and park space, with the 800 m buffer best explaining boys’ MVPA and the 500 m buffer best explaining girls’ MVPA. Findings emphasize that, when designing built environments, programs, and policies to facilitate physical activity, it is important to consider that the size of the neighbourhood influencing a child’s physical activity may differ according to sex.

Highlights

Obesity rates among Canadian children and adolescents have risen dramatically over the last thirty years, in part due to decreasing levels of physical activity [1,2,3]
Variables were assessed for multicollinearity using Variance Inflation Factors (VIFs) because one assumption of ordinary least squares regression is the absence of high multicollinearity
This study examined whether the opportunities present in a child’s neighbourhood built environment predicted objectively measured average daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during weekdays outside of school hours by (1) the sex of the child and (2) neighbourhood size

Summary

Introduction

Obesity rates among Canadian children and adolescents have risen dramatically over the last thirty years, in part due to decreasing levels of physical activity [1,2,3]. Obesity is a complex health problem with numerous mechanisms, but it is generally agreed that obesity is the result of an energy imbalance that occurs when the energy consumed exceeds the energy expended [4]. Physical activity increases energy expenditure and helps prevent obesity [5]. Regular physical activity during childhood helps to mitigate risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and improve psychological well-being by improving academic performance and reducing anxiety and depression [6,7]. Canadian children spend the majority of their time engaging in sedentary activities like watching television or playing on the computer [8] Few Canadian children are meeting Canada’s recommended physical activity guidelines of at least sixty minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during most days of the week [8,9].

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion