@article{ref1,
title="Associations between the neighborhood environment and moderate-to-vigorous walking in New Zealand children: findings from the URBAN study",
journal="Sports medicine",
year="2016",
author="McGrath, Leslie J. and Hinckson, Erica A. and Hopkins, Will G. and Mavoa, Suzanne and Witten, Karen and Schofield, Grant",
volume="46",
number="7",
pages="1003-1017",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Urban design may affect children's habitual physical activity by influencing active commuting and neighborhood play. <br><br>PURPOSE: Our objective was to examine associations between neighborhood built-environment features near children's homes and objectively measured physical activity. <br><br>METHODS: We used geographical information system (GIS) protocols to select 2016 households from 48 low- and high-walkability neighborhoods within four New Zealand cities. Children (n = 227; mean age ± standard deviation [SD] 9.3 ± 2.1 years) from the selected households wore accelerometers that recorded physical activity in the period 2008-2010. We used multilevel linear models to examine the associations of GIS and street-audit measures, using the systematic pedestrian and cycling environmental scan (SPACES), of the residential environment (ranked into tertiles) on children's hourly step counts and proportions of time spent at moderate-to-vigorous intensity on school and non-school days. <br><br>RESULTS: During school-travel times (8:00-8:59 a.m. and 15:00-15:59 p.m.), children in the mid-tertile distance from school (~1 to 2 km) were more active than children with shorter or longer commute distances (1290 vs. 1130 and 1140 steps·h(-1); true between-child SD 440). After school (16:00-17:59 p.m.), children residing closest to school were more active (890 vs. 800 and 790 steps·h(-1); SD 310). Neighborhoods with more green space, attractive streets, or low-walkability streets showed a moderate positive association on non-school day moderate-to-vigorous steps, whereas neighborhoods with additional pedestrian infrastructure or more food outlets showed moderate negative associations. Other associations of residential neighborhoods were unclear but, at most, small. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Designing the urban environment to promote safe child-pedestrian roaming may increase children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0112-1642",
doi="10.1007/s40279-016-0533-x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0533-x"
}