Objectively-assessed neighbourhood destination accessibility and physical activity in adults from 10 countries

TY - JOUR

T1 - Objectively-assessed neighbourhood destination accessibility and physical activity in adults from 10 countries

T2 - An analysis of moderators and perceptions as mediators

AU - Cerin, Ester

AU - Conway, Terry L.

AU - Adams, Marc A.

AU - Barnett, Anthony

AU - Cain, Kelli L.

AU - Owen, Neville

AU - Christiansen, Lars B.

AU - van Dyck, Delfien

AU - Mitáš, Josef

AU - Sarmiento, Olga L.

AU - Davey, Rachel C.

AU - Reis, Rodrigo

AU - Salvo, Deborah

AU - Schofield, Grant

AU - Sallis, James F.

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - Rationale: Residents of neighbourhoods with high destination accessibility (higher population density, more-interconnected streets, and better access to services, public transport and parks) are more physically active. Evidence on the factors that underlie these associations is sparse and inconsistent. Objective: We examined (1) five socio-demographic and four non-destination perceived neighbourhood attributes as moderators of the relationship between objectively-assessed destination accessibility and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); (2) perceived indicators of destination accessibility as mediators of those relationships; and, (3) the generalizability of findings across 14 cities. Methods: Data were from the International Physical Activity and Environment Network (IPEN) Adult study (N = 6822), which provided comparable objective and perceived environmental variables and accelerometer-based MVPA from 14 cities across 10 countries. Mediation and mediation moderation analyses were performed. Results: Objective net residential density, public transport density, and number of parks in the neighbourhood were consistently associated with MVPA across all examined socio-demographic groups and non-destination perceived neighbourhood characteristics. However, only the association between number of parks and MVPA was mediated by its conceptually-comparable perceived indicator. While the associations of objective intersection density and land use mix with MVPA were moderated by both gender and perceived pedestrian infrastructure/safety, only the latter moderating effects were mediated by the conceptually-comparable perceived indicators. Perceived neighbourhood safety and/or aesthetics moderated the associations of objective ratio of retail/civic land to total area and distance to nearest transport stop with MVPA. These associations were not mediated by the conceptually-comparable perceived indicators. Conclusion: Densely populated neighbourhoods with access to public transport and parks have the potential to significantly and equitably contribute to adults' MVPA on a global scale. Perceived neighbourhood aesthetics, pedestrian-friendliness and safety can magnify the positive effects of mixed-use neighbourhoods on residents' MVPA by interacting with the perceived ease of access to a variety of destinations.

AB - Rationale: Residents of neighbourhoods with high destination accessibility (higher population density, more-interconnected streets, and better access to services, public transport and parks) are more physically active. Evidence on the factors that underlie these associations is sparse and inconsistent. Objective: We examined (1) five socio-demographic and four non-destination perceived neighbourhood attributes as moderators of the relationship between objectively-assessed destination accessibility and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); (2) perceived indicators of destination accessibility as mediators of those relationships; and, (3) the generalizability of findings across 14 cities. Methods: Data were from the International Physical Activity and Environment Network (IPEN) Adult study (N = 6822), which provided comparable objective and perceived environmental variables and accelerometer-based MVPA from 14 cities across 10 countries. Mediation and mediation moderation analyses were performed. Results: Objective net residential density, public transport density, and number of parks in the neighbourhood were consistently associated with MVPA across all examined socio-demographic groups and non-destination perceived neighbourhood characteristics. However, only the association between number of parks and MVPA was mediated by its conceptually-comparable perceived indicator. While the associations of objective intersection density and land use mix with MVPA were moderated by both gender and perceived pedestrian infrastructure/safety, only the latter moderating effects were mediated by the conceptually-comparable perceived indicators. Perceived neighbourhood safety and/or aesthetics moderated the associations of objective ratio of retail/civic land to total area and distance to nearest transport stop with MVPA. These associations were not mediated by the conceptually-comparable perceived indicators. Conclusion: Densely populated neighbourhoods with access to public transport and parks have the potential to significantly and equitably contribute to adults' MVPA on a global scale. Perceived neighbourhood aesthetics, pedestrian-friendliness and safety can magnify the positive effects of mixed-use neighbourhoods on residents' MVPA by interacting with the perceived ease of access to a variety of destinations.

KW - Geographic information systems

KW - Mediated moderation

KW - Parks

KW - Perceived neighbourhood attributes

KW - Physical activity

KW - Public transport

KW - Sociodemographic characteristics

KW - Walkability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049340637&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.034

DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.034

M3 - Article

VL - 211

SP - 282

EP - 293

JO - Social Science Medicine Social Science Medicine

JF - Social Science Medicine Social Science Medicine

SN - 0277-9536

ER -