Abstract
Introduction: Urban roadside nature, an important component of ecosystem services, provides the opportunity for individuals to experience the natural world while going about their everyday lives. Despite mounting evidence that green space can improve health and health determinants, these studies are often limited with respect to the spatial resolution of analysis. This study examines the association between green infrastructure with active transportation and recreational activity using fine-scale estimates of the urban green environment. Methods: Percent green space and tree cover along walkable roads was calculated using 1-meter resolution land cover data within 500 and 1000 meter network buffers around study participants’ homes. Data on self-reported physical activity were from a prospective cohort of survey respondents residing in Milwaukee and Green Bay, WI (n=752). Logistic regression was used to assess the association between neighborhood environment and physical activity, adjusting for socio-demographics, duration of residence, intersection density, and neighborhood destinations and economic hardship index. Results: Greater than 35% green space along walkable roads within 500 and 1000 meter buffers doubled the odds of recreational physical activity at least once within a 30 day window (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.0, p=0.03, 95% CI: 1.1, 3.9 and AOR=2.2, p=0.04, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.6 respectively). Study participants with greater than 15% tree cover along walkable roads within 500 and 1000 meters of their homes had approximately 1.5 times greater odds of choosing active transportation once than those with less tree cover (AOR=1.5, p=0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8, 2.9 and AOR=1.5, p=0.35, 95% CI: 0.7, 3.3 respectively). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the proximate neighborhood environment may influence an individual’s decision to exercise for recreation and potentially transportation, however, more work on neighborhood preference is needed.
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