Combining Accelerometry and GPS to Assess Neighborhood-Based Physical Activity: Associations With Perceived Neighborhood Walkability

N E H Stappers,M W J Jansen,S P J Kremers,M P M Bekker,J Schipperijn,N K De Vries,D H H Van Kann

doi:10.1177/0013916520906485

Abstract

This study explored associations between perceived neighborhood walkability and neighborhood-based physical activity (NB-PA) and assessed possible moderation effects of the amount of time spent in the home neighborhood and individual characteristics (i.e., educational level and health-related problems). In 2016 to 2017, 509 Dutch adults, living in the South Limburg area, were included. Context-specific PA levels were measured using the Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer and the Qstarz BTQ1000XT GPS-logger. Perceived neighborhood walkability, level of education, work status, and health-related quality of life were measured with validated self-report instruments. Results showed that individuals with a lower level of education or health-related problems spent more time in the home neighborhood. The perceived neighborhood walkability only affected NB-PA for individuals spending a relatively large amount of time in their home neighborhood. PA-facilitating features in the home neighborhood, for example, aesthetics, were only associated with more NB-PA for individuals without health-related problems or with a higher level of education.

Highlights

Despite the growing attention being paid to physical activity (PA) and its positive effects on health, the levels of physical inactivity of the global population did not significantly change between 2001 and 2016 (Guthold et al, 2018)
Because moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) levels at work and in the work neighborhood did not explain the differences in total MVPA levels between individuals with and without health-related problems, we focused our subsequent analyses on the associations between the perceived neighborhood walkability and neighborhood-based MVPA
Individuals with a lower educational level or with health-related problems spend more of their time in their home neighborhood, which creates opportunities to increase PA levels by improving the quality of that neighborhood

Summary

Introduction

Despite the growing attention being paid to physical activity (PA) and its positive effects on health, the levels of physical inactivity of the global population did not significantly change between 2001 and 2016 (Guthold et al, 2018). In 2016, the prevalence of physical inactivity in high-income Western countries was about 37% (Guthold et al, 2018). These insufficient PA levels are present throughout the population, though more disadvantaged individuals, with a lower educational level or lower socioeconomic status (SES), are less likely to engage in leisure-time PA compared with the more advantaged people in society (Demarest et al, 2014). Local governments are starting to adopt more upstream, structural interventions to affect the PA levels of the whole population, for example, by designing healthy, active cities and walkable environments (Capewell & Graham, 2010; Rutter et al, 2017; World Health Organization, 2018). The literature is still inconclusive about the association between the built environment and PA, partly due to differences in methods, contexts, and individuals’ exposure to the physical environment under study (Mayne et al, 2015; Stappers, Van Kann, Ettema, et al, 2018)

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Discussion

Conclusion