This study examined associations between neighborhood social factors and physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in older adults. Furthermore, possible moderating effects of neighborhood walkability were explored. Data from 431 community-dwelling Belgian older adults (≥65 years) were analyzed. Neighborhood social factors included measures of neighboring, social trust and cohesion and...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the perceived environment and the use of public open spaces (POS). METHODS A cross-sectional study with household surveys was conducted in 1,461 adults from Curitiba, Brazil interviewed in person. The perceived environment was evaluated with the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale, and the POS use was evaluated...

BACKGROUND The built and social environments may contribute to physical activity motivations and behavior. We examined the extent to which the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) mediated the association between neighborhood walkability and walking. METHODS Two random cross-sectional samples (n = 4422 adults) completed telephone interviews capturing walking-related TPB variables (perceived behav...

BACKGROUND Differences in the neighborhood food environment may contribute to disparities in obesity. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the association of neighborhood food environments with body mass index (BMI) and obesity after control for neighborhood walkability. METHODS This study employed a cross-sectional, multilevel analysis of BMI and obesity among 13,102 adult r...

Neighborhood features such as community socioeconomic status, recreational facilities, and parks have been correlated to the health outcomes of the residents living within those neighborhoods, especially with regard to health-related quality of life, body mass index, and physical activity. The interplay between one's built environment and one's perceptions may affect physical health, well-being...

BACKGROUND Neighborhood environments affect children's health outcomes. Observational methods used to assess neighborhoods can be categorized as indirect, intermediate, or direct. Direct methods, involving in-person audits of the neighborhoods conducted by trained observers, are recognized as an accurate representation of current neighborhood conditions. The authors investigated the association...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body mass index and neighborhood walkability, socioeconomic status (SES), reasons for choosing neighborhoods, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and demographic variables. METHODS Two studies, one longitudinal and one cross-sectional, were conducted. Participants included adults (n = 572) who provided com...

BACKGROUND Physical inactivity and exposure to air pollution are important risk factors for death and disease globally. The built environment may influence exposures to these risk factors in different ways and thus differentially affect the health of urban populations. OBJECTIVE We investigated the built environment's association with air pollution and physical inactivity, and estimated attri...