Abstract
Neighborhood walking environment is an environmental issue affecting human health-related behaviors in China and worldwide. High school is a special period in China, during which students need to prepare for the college entrance examination and are physically inactive. Therefore, the influence of environment on high school students’ physical activities is particularly prominent. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between neighborhood environment walkability and physical activity in Chinese youth. We conducted a retrospective questionnaire study on 3424 freshmen from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The mean age at the moment of completing the questionnaire was 18.74 years (SD = 0.95) and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 21.37 kg/m2 (SD = 2.86). Participants were asked to look back on their usual weekly physical activity and perceived neighborhood environment during high school. Neighborhood environment was measured using the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale for Youth (NEWS-Y). Physical activity data by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) were collected. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The mean scale total score of NEWS-Y was 14.66 (SD = 1.30). Participants on average engaged in 754.46 (SD = 844.69), 479.79 (SD = 687.24), 920.47 (SD = 994.92), and 2172.72 (SD = 1736.21) MET-minutes/week of travel physical activity (travel PA), moderate physical activity (MPA), vigorous physical activity (VPA), and total physical activity (total PA), respectively. A one scale score increases in neighborhood walkable environmental was associated with an increase in travel PA and MPA by 42.64 (P < 0.001) and 31.11 (P < 0.01) MET-minutes/week, respectively. A possibly positive correlation between neighborhood environment walkability and physical activity was found. Future studies are warranted to replicate this study's findings, as well as provide evidence for potential policies to make neighborhood environment conducive to physical activity.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
