Abstract
BackgroundPerception of undesirable features may inhibit built environment use for physical activity among underserved families with children at risk for obesity.MethodsTo examine the association of perceived availability, condition, and safety of the built environment with its self-reported use for physical activity, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis on baseline data from a randomized controlled trial. Adjusted Poisson regression was used to test the association between the primary independent variables (perceived availability, physical condition, and safety) with the primary outcome of self-reported use of built environment structures.ResultsAmong 610 parents (90% Latino) of preschool-age children, 158 (26%) reported that there were no available built environment structures for physical activity in the neighborhood. The use of built environment structures was associated with the perceived number of available structures (B = 0.34, 95% CI 0.31, 0.37, p < 0.001) and their perceived condition (B = 0.19, 95% CI 0.12, 0.27, p = 0.001), but not with perceived safety (B = 0.00, 95% CI −0.01, 0.01, p = 0.7).ConclusionsIn this sample of underserved families, perceived availability and condition of built environment structures were associated with use rather than perceived safety. To encourage physical activity among underserved families, communities need to invest in the condition and availability of built environment structures.Trial registrationRegistered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01316653) on March 11, 2011.
Highlights
Perception of undesirable features may inhibit built environment use for physical activity among underserved families with children at risk for obesity
Twenty-six percent of the participants in the baseline sample reported that none of the queried built environment structures existed in their neighborhood
Of the participants who reported having at least one built environment structure available, 406 (90% of 452) had complete data on built environment use, condition, and safety constituting our analytic sample for subsequent analyses
Summary
Perception of undesirable features may inhibit built environment use for physical activity among underserved families with children at risk for obesity. Use of the built environment for physical activity is dependent on personal and social factors as well as at least three intrinsic features of built environment structures: availability, condition, and personal safety [9]. Previous work has shown that a Heerman et al BMC Public Health (2016) 16:1180 parent’s perception of these three intrinsic built environment features is more strongly associated with parenting behaviors that support child physical activity than objective measures of built environment safety [10]. Studying the effects of parent perception of the intrinsic features of their built environment is an important approach to identifying modifiable determinants of childhood physical activity
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