Living Close to Natural Outdoor Environments in Four European Cities: Adults' Contact with the Environments and Physical Activity.

Margarita Triguero-Mas,Gemma Hurst,Wanda Wendel-Vos,Tania Martínez-Íñiguez,Albert Ambròs,Eddy Clasquin,Wim Swart,Regina Gražulevičienė,David Martínez,Magdalena Van Den Berg,Marta Cirach,Glòria Carrasco-Turigas,Antònia Valentín,Daniel Masterson,Martin Voorsmit,Jolanda Maas,Graham Smith,Naomi Ellis,Hanneke Kruize,Judith Cirac-Claveras,Michael Jerrett,Edmund Seto,Tomas Gražulevičius ,Audrius Dėdelė ,David Donaire-González ,Christopher Gidlow ,Mark Nieuwenhuijsen

doi:10.3390/ijerph14101162

Abstract

This study investigated whether residential availability of natural outdoor environments (NOE) was associated with contact with NOE, overall physical activity and physical activity in NOE, in four different European cities using objective measures. A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in Barcelona (Spain); Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom); Doetinchem (The Netherlands); and Kaunas (Lithuania). Smartphones were used to collect information on the location and physical activity (overall and NOE) of around 100 residents of each city over seven days. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine residential NOE availability (presence/absence of NOE within 300 m buffer from residence), contact with NOE (time spent in NOE), overall PA (total physical activity), NOE PA (total physical activity in NOE). Potential effect modifiers were investigated. Participants spent around 40 min in NOE and 80 min doing overall PA daily, of which 11% was in NOE. Having residential NOE availability was consistently linked with higher NOE contact during weekdays, but not to overall PA. Having residential NOE availability was related to NOE PA, especially for our Barcelona participants, people that lived in a city with low NOE availability.

Highlights

Interest in the health and physical activity (PA)-promoting potential of the physical environment continues to grow [1]
We found that the higher residential NOE availability, the more NOE PA, especially four our Barcelona participants
We found no associations between residential NOE availability and overall MVPA

Summary

Introduction

Interest in the health and physical activity (PA)-promoting potential of the physical environment continues to grow [1]. Some evidence suggests that the provision of natural outdoor environments (i.e., environments with vegetation like parks and environments with water like the seashore, abbreviated as NOE), the encouragement of certain types of food shops or the measures to reduce traffic density are ecological interventions that can affect health and activity behaviours [2,3]. Such higher level ecological interventions fall under the remit of those in charge of policy and the design and management of our living environments. Despite no clear conclusions can be drawn from the existing evidence, usage differences could explain differential health benefits from

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion