BACKGROUND: Green space is widely hypothesised to promote physical activity. Few studies, however, examine whether this is the case for walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). We investigated to what extent neighbourhood green space was associated with weekly participation and frequency of walking and MVPA in a large cross-sectional survey of Australian adults 45 years and older. METHODS: Logit and negative binomial regression were used to estimate the degree of association between walking, MVPA and neighbourhood green space in a sample of 203 883 adults from the Australian 45 and Up Study. Walking and MVPA were measured using the Active Australia Survey. Green space was measured as a percentage of the total land-use within 1 km radius of residence. We controlled for a range of individual and neighbourhood characteristics. RESULTS: 86.6% of the sample walked and 85.8% participated in MVPA at least once a week. These rates fell steeply with age. Compared with residents of neighbourhoods containing 0-20% green space, those in greener areas were significantly more likely to walk and participate in MVPAs at least once a week (trend for both p<0.001). Among those participating at least once a week, residents of neighbourhoods containing 80%+ green space participated with a greater frequency of walking (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.09, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.13) and MVPA (IRR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.15). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the amount of green space available to adults in middle-to-older age within their neighbourhood environments could help to promote walking and MVPA.
BACKGROUND: Green space is widely hypothesised to promote physical activity. Few studies, however, examine whether this is the case for walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). We investigated to what extent neighbourhood green space was associated with weekly participation and frequency of walking and MVPA in a large cross-sectional survey of Australian adults 45 years and older. METHODS: Logit and negative binomial regression were used to estimate the degree of association between walking, MVPA and neighbourhood green space in a sample of 203 883 adults from the Australian 45 and Up Study. Walking and MVPA were measured using the Active Australia Survey. Green space was measured as a percentage of the total land-use within 1 km radius of residence. We controlled for a range of individual and neighbourhood characteristics. RESULTS: 86.6% of the sample walked and 85.8% participated in MVPA at least once a week. These rates fell steeply with age. Compared with residents of neighbourhoods containing 0-20% green space, those in greener areas were significantly more likely to walk and participate in MVPAs at least once a week (trend for both p<0.001). Among those participating at least once a week, residents of neighbourhoods containing 80%+ green space participated with a greater frequency of walking (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.09, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.13) and MVPA (IRR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.15). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the amount of green space available to adults in middle-to-older age within their neighbourhood environments could help to promote walking and MVPA.
Authors: Takemi Sugiyama; Lucy D Gunn; Hayley Christian; Jacinta Francis; Sarah Foster; Paula Hooper; Neville Owen; Billie Giles-Corti Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2015-10-15 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Daniel Aggio; Efstathios Papachristou; Olia Papacosta; Lucy T Lennon; Sarah Ash; Peter H Whincup; S Goya Wannamethee; Barbara J Jefferis Journal: Med Sci Sports Exerc Date: 2019-03 Impact factor: 5.411