Perceived Walkability, Social Capital, and Self-Reported Physical Activity in Las Vegas College Students

Abstract

College students are an understudied, vulnerable population, whose inactivity rates exceed those reported by U.S. adults. Walkability in sprawling cities, such as Las Vegas, is challenged due to automobile-oriented development. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between perceived neighborhood walkability, social capital, and meeting physical activity recommendations among University of Nevada-Las Vegas college students. Of the 410 participants, 42.2% met physical activity recommendations, 77.1% were female, 37.3% were white, and 79.5% owned a vehicle. Logistic regression showed that social capital (odds ratio (OR) = 1.25, p = 0.04) and gender (OR = 0.49, p <0.01) were the only positive indicators of physical activity; no perceived walkability subscales were significant. Findings confirm that social factors remain an important health determinant and that females continue to be less active than males. The authors speculate that sprawl characteristics may impact perceived walkability and act as a deterrent, or that it is the social norm to commute and complete errands by vehicle. It may also be that the survey tool used was unable to account for confounding variables associated with sprawl. Supporting social capital may be one approach to increase physical activity. Fostering walkability makes urban environments more livable, sustainable, healthy, and equitable; thus, further research into the relationship between walkability and physical activity in college students is needed.