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Physical Activity and Concordance between Objective and Perceived Walkability.

Arvidsson, Daniel LU ; Kawakami, Naomi ; Ohlsson, Henrik LU and Sundquist, Kristina LU (2012) In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 44. p.280-287
Abstract
PURPOSE:: To investigate concordance between objective and perceived neighborhood walkability, their associations with self-reported walking and objective physical activity, and sociodemographic characteristics of individuals in neighborhoods with objectively assessed high walkability who misperceive it as low. METHODS:: In 1,925 individuals aged 20-66 years, recruited from administrative areas in the city of Stockholm, Sweden, of both high and low neighborhood walkability, objective neighborhood walkability was assessed within a 1,000m radius of each individual's residential address using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Perceived walkability was based on the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS). Walking was assessed... (More)
PURPOSE:: To investigate concordance between objective and perceived neighborhood walkability, their associations with self-reported walking and objective physical activity, and sociodemographic characteristics of individuals in neighborhoods with objectively assessed high walkability who misperceive it as low. METHODS:: In 1,925 individuals aged 20-66 years, recruited from administrative areas in the city of Stockholm, Sweden, of both high and low neighborhood walkability, objective neighborhood walkability was assessed within a 1,000m radius of each individual's residential address using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Perceived walkability was based on the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS). Walking was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by an accelerometer (ActiGraph). Sociodemographic characteristics were self-reported. RESULTS:: Objective and perceived neighborhood walkability agreed in 67.0% of the individuals, with kappa=0.34 (95% CI: 0.30-0.38). One-third of the individuals in neighborhoods with objectively assessed high walkability misperceived it as low. This non-concordance was more common among older and married/cohabiting individuals. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, high objective neighborhood walkability was associated with 35.0 (95% CI: 14.6-64.6) and 10.5 (95% CI: -5.2-28.5) more minutes/week of walking for transportation and leisure, respectively, and 2.8 (95% CI: 0.9-5.0) more minutes/day of MVPA. High perceived neighborhood walkability was associated with 41.5 (95% CI: 15.8-62.9) and 21.8 (95% CI: 2.8-40.0) more minutes/week of walking for transportation and leisure, respectively, and 1.7 (95% CI: -0.3-3.7) more minutes/day of MVPA. CONCLUSIONS:: Objective and perceived neighborhood walkability both contribute to the amount of walking and objective physical activity. Both measures of neighborhood walkability may be important factors to target in interventions aiming at increasing physical activity. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
volume
44
pages
280 - 287
publisher
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
external identifiers
  • wos:000299316300013
  • pmid:21716148
  • scopus:84858295388
  • pmid:21716148
ISSN
1530-0315
DOI
10.1249/MSS.0b013e31822a9289
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d4824394-ef78-47fa-982e-603c192040fb (old id 2059241)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21716148?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 08:45:11
date last changed
2022-04-23 17:59:13
@article{d4824394-ef78-47fa-982e-603c192040fb,
  abstract     = {{PURPOSE:: To investigate concordance between objective and perceived neighborhood walkability, their associations with self-reported walking and objective physical activity, and sociodemographic characteristics of individuals in neighborhoods with objectively assessed high walkability who misperceive it as low. METHODS:: In 1,925 individuals aged 20-66 years, recruited from administrative areas in the city of Stockholm, Sweden, of both high and low neighborhood walkability, objective neighborhood walkability was assessed within a 1,000m radius of each individual's residential address using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Perceived walkability was based on the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS). Walking was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by an accelerometer (ActiGraph). Sociodemographic characteristics were self-reported. RESULTS:: Objective and perceived neighborhood walkability agreed in 67.0% of the individuals, with kappa=0.34 (95% CI: 0.30-0.38). One-third of the individuals in neighborhoods with objectively assessed high walkability misperceived it as low. This non-concordance was more common among older and married/cohabiting individuals. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, high objective neighborhood walkability was associated with 35.0 (95% CI: 14.6-64.6) and 10.5 (95% CI: -5.2-28.5) more minutes/week of walking for transportation and leisure, respectively, and 2.8 (95% CI: 0.9-5.0) more minutes/day of MVPA. High perceived neighborhood walkability was associated with 41.5 (95% CI: 15.8-62.9) and 21.8 (95% CI: 2.8-40.0) more minutes/week of walking for transportation and leisure, respectively, and 1.7 (95% CI: -0.3-3.7) more minutes/day of MVPA. CONCLUSIONS:: Objective and perceived neighborhood walkability both contribute to the amount of walking and objective physical activity. Both measures of neighborhood walkability may be important factors to target in interventions aiming at increasing physical activity.}},
  author       = {{Arvidsson, Daniel and Kawakami, Naomi and Ohlsson, Henrik and Sundquist, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{1530-0315}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{280--287}},
  publisher    = {{Lippincott Williams & Wilkins}},
  series       = {{Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise}},
  title        = {{Physical Activity and Concordance between Objective and Perceived Walkability.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31822a9289}},
  doi          = {{10.1249/MSS.0b013e31822a9289}},
  volume       = {{44}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}