Abstract
This study examined whether changes in green space within the living environment were associated with changes in walking and cycling frequencies in a cohort of 3,220 Dutch adults between 2004, 2011 and 2014. Data on self-reported weekly time spent walking and cycling for active commute and leisure were linked to geographic information system (GIS) measures of total green areas within 1000m buffer zones around each participant's home address, and distance to the nearest green space. First, cross-sectional linear regression models showed no statistically significant associations between green space measures and walking and cycling. Second, fixed effects (FE) models were used to analyze whether changes in green space were associated with changes in walking and cycling, using longitudinal data from respondents who did not relocate over time. As distance to the nearest green area increased by 100m, individuals spent 22.76 fewer (95% CI: -39.92, -5.60) minutes walking for leisure per week and 3.21 more (95% CI: 0.46, 5.96) minutes walking for active commute. Changes in distance to green space were not significantly related to changes in cycling measures. No clear associations between changes in green areas within 1000m buffers and changes in walking and cycling were observed. Overall, there was weak evidence of an effect of changes in green space area on changes in walking, and no evidence for cycling.
Highlights
The urban landscape can shape human activity and offer avenues for health promotion
This paper aims to decode causal relationships between green space and frequency of walking and cycling by linking comprehensive geographic information system (GIS) measures of green space area and proximity to physical activity out comes from cohort data with 10 years of follow-up
Participants were surrounded by an average green area of 47.6 ha (15%) within a 1000 m buffer around their home address
Summary
The urban landscape can shape human activity and offer avenues for health promotion. Current trends in overconsumption and sedentary lifestyles contribute to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), accounting for 70% of deaths worldwide and inflicting strain on health, societal, and economic systems. Walking is recognized among the most common, acceptable, and accessible forms of physical activity across different age groups, gender, and ethnicities (Siegel et al, 1995). Along with cycling, it can be used for commute and leisure purposes to habitually increase daily energy expenditure and improve health (Kerr et al, 2016). The Netherlands offers a unique case study given the high prevalence of commuter walking and cycling, with 25% of all journeys being traveled by bicycle (Gao et al, 2017). Given a cultural predisposition to an active commute, what stimulates or demotivates Dutch adults to walk or cycle? Given a cultural predisposition to an active commute, what stimulates or demotivates Dutch adults to walk or cycle? More importantly, how can cities spatially adapt to further increase activity on a population level?
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