TY - JOUR PY - 2017// TI - Neighbourhood environmental attributes associated with walking in south Australian adults: differences between urban and rural areas JO - International journal of environmental research and public health A1 - Berry, Narelle M. A1 - Coffee, Neil T. A1 - Nolan, Rebecca A1 - Dollman, James A1 - Sugiyama, Takemi SP - e14090965 EP - e14090965 VL - 14 IS - 9 N2 - Although the health benefits of walking are well established, participation is lower in rural areas compared to urban areas. Most studies on walkability and walking have been conducted in urban areas, thus little is known about the relevance of walkability to rural areas. A computer-assisted telephone survey of 2402 adults (aged ≥18 years) was conducted to determine walking behaviour and perceptions of neighbourhood walkability. Data were stratified by urban (n = 1738) and rural (n = 664). A greater proportion of respondents reported no walking in rural (25.8%) compared to urban areas (18.5%). Compared to urban areas, rural areas had lower walkability scores and urban residents reported higher frequency of walking. The association of perceived walkability with walking was significant only in urban areas. These results suggest that environmental factors associated with walking in urban areas may not be relevant in rural areas. Appropriate walkability measures specific to rural areas should be further researched.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1661-7827 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14090965 ID - ref1 ER -