Abstract
Research indicates that when measured on an hourly basis, 42% of variance in outdoor physical activity trail counts is explained by changes in weather. While research indicates the aforementioned relationship exists, it is yet to be determined if aggregated daily measures are as effective when studying this relationship. PURPOSE: To investigate whether the relationship between physical activity trail counts from an urban greenway and weather can be detected at the daily level. METHODS: Daily outdoor physical activity trail counts (DPA), the dependent variable, (N=611 days) were measured on an urban greenway between July, 2007 and August, 2009 using an infrared trail counter. Weather-related measures for each day (daily max temperature (DMT), precipitation, humidity, etc.), the independent variables, were captured using Weather Underground, an online weather source. Data analysis used multiple-regression to detect associations between DPA and WT with two covariates, day of the week and month, controlled for in this model. RESULTS: Over the course of the study, DPA were lowest in December (104.1 ± 49) and highest in June (302.7 ± 86). DMT displayed the same trend with the lowest DMT seen in January (46.6° F ± 10.7) and the highest in August (91.0° F ± 5.8). Overall, the regression model explained 60.1% of the variance for daily DPA, F(1,605) =150.1, p<.001. The following weather-related factors were significantly related to DPA and are listed in order of importance: DMT (b=10.5), MT-squared (b=-4.0) [where DMT peaked resulting in DPA declining], precipitation (b=-70.0), and max wind speed (b=1.9). CONCLUSION: Aggregated daily data, rather than hourly-level data, can be used to detect relationships between outdoor DPA and the weather. This may be advantageous for researchers and urban planners for modeling physical activity in the context of weather-related factors. Funding: UTK Southeastern Transportation Center Research Grant
Highlights
A greenway is commonly defined as a “linear open space established either along a natural corridor such as a riverfront, stream valley, or ridgeline, or overland along a railroad right-of-way converted to recreational use, a canal, a scenic road, or other route” [1]
Research has not focused on outdoor physical activity (PA) on an urban greenway. In light of these findings, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between weather related factors and daily PA trail counts on an urban greenway
The results of this investigation suggest that weather related factors are associated with changes in outdoor PA trail counts measured on an urban greenway
Summary
A greenway is commonly defined as a “linear open space established either along a natural corridor such as a riverfront, stream valley, or ridgeline, or overland along a railroad right-of-way converted to recreational use, a canal, a scenic road, or other route” [1]. Research does indicate that an individual is twice as likely to engage in outdoor PA if he or she perceives they have access to outdoor
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