Changes in Objectively-Determined Walkability and Physical Activity in Adults: A Quasi-Longitudinal Residential Relocation Study.

Gavin Mccormack,Grazia Salvo,Lindsay Mclaren,Anita Blackstaffe

doi:10.3390/ijerph14050551

Abstract

Causal evidence for the built environment’s role in supporting physical activity is needed to inform land use and transportation policies. This quasi-longitudinal residential relocation study compared within-person changes in self-reported transportation walking, transportation cycling, and overall physical activity during the past 12 months among adults who did and did not move to a different neighbourhood. In 2014, a random sample of adults from 12 neighbourhoods (Calgary, AB, Canada) with varying urban form and socioeconomic status provided complete self-administered questionnaire data (n = 915). Participants, some of whom moved neighbourhood during the past 12 months (n = 95), reported their perceived change in transportation walking and cycling, and overall physical activity during that period. The questionnaire also captured residential self-selection, and sociodemographic and health characteristics. Walk Scores® were linked to each participant’s current and previous neighbourhood and three groups identified: walkability “improvers” (n = 48); “decliners” (n = 47), and; “maintainers” (n = 820). Perceived change in physical activity was compared between the three groups using propensity score covariate-adjusted Firth logistic regression (odds ratios: OR). Compared with walkability maintainers, walkability decliners (OR 4.37) and improvers (OR 4.14) were more likely (p < 0.05) to report an increase in their transportation walking since moving neighbourhood, while walkability decliners were also more likely (OR 3.17) to report decreasing their transportation walking since moving. Walkability improvers were more likely than maintainers to increase their transportation cycling since moving neighbourhood (OR 4.22). Temporal changes in neighbourhood walkability resulting from residential relocation appear to be associated with reported temporal changes in transportation walking and cycling in adults.

Highlights

Urban and transportation planning policies should reflect the most rigorous public health evidence available [1]
We found that participants who relocated to either more and less walkable neighbourhoods in the past 12 months were both more and less likely to increase their transportation walking compared with non-movers
Similar to other longitudinal studies [8], we found that compared with non-movers, participants who moved to more walkable neighbourhoods were more likely to report increased transportation cycling

Summary

Introduction

Urban and transportation planning policies should reflect the most rigorous public health evidence available [1]. Natural experiments have begun to emerge that can provide rigorous causal evidence for the influence of the built environment on physical activity [2,3,4,5]. These natural experiments can be broadly grouped into (1) “built environment intervention” studies that involve built environment modification with pre-and post-modification measurement of physical activity with either the same or different pre- and post-samples; or (2) “residential relocation” longitudinal studies where changes in individuals’ built environment and physical activity are measured before and after they relocate to a different neighbourhood [6]. Public Health 2017, 14, 551; doi:10.3390/ijerph14050551 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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