Access to public spaces and physical activity for Mexican adult women

Abstract

The aim of this article was to explore the association between access to public spaces and physical activity for adult women, controlling and testing interactions with sociodemographic and public spaces characteristics. We combined sociodemographic data from a survey with the adult (18-65 years of age) women population of Tijuana, Mexico, conducted in 2014 (N = 2,345); with data from a 2013 study on public spaces in the same city. We evaluated access to public spaces by the presence and total area of public spaces in buffers of 400, 800, 1,000 and 1,600m around the participants' homes. We measured physical activity with the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-short). We employed multinomial logistic models to evaluate the association between access to public spaces and physical activity, and tested for interactions between access to public spaces and public spaces quality and sociodemographic characteristics. We observed no interaction between access to public spaces and public spaces quality in their effect on physical activity. There was an association between the presence of public spaces in the 400m buffer, and higher odds of being in the low physical activity level (as opposed to being in the moderate level) (coefficient: 0.50; 95%CI: 0.13; 0.87). Participants who used public transport were less likely to be in the low physical activity level (coefficient: -0.57; 95%CI: -0.97; -0.17). We suggest that, in this population, the access to public spaces might be less relevant for physical activity than other elements of the urban environment and sociodemographic characteristics.

Public spaces and physical activity in adults: insights from a mixed-methods study

“…A review 35 concluded that walkability was associated with physical activity in adults, while results for access to public spaces were mixed, and another found "convincing" evidence for an association between walkability and total physical activity, while the evidence for access to parks and other recreational facilities was only "possible" 36 . Studies conducted in Brazil have likewise found null 37,38 or mixed 39 results, and studies in Mexico reported null and inverse associations 5,7 .…”

“…Previous studies suggest that living close to parks, green areas, and other public spaces is associated with more physical activity 3,4 . However, there are still mixed results, and some researchers have reported lower physical activity levels among those living closer to public spaces 3,5,6,7 .…”

Prevalência de diabéticos, hipertensos e atividade física em Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul

“…Visto que a maioria dos estudos mostra uma associação positiva entre espaços públicos e atividade física. [20][21] As limitações de generalização dos dados, de fontes secundárias, também decorrem de que todas as informações obtidas são autorreferidas em entrevista telefônica e os indivíduos que não possuem uma linha telefônica fixa e não são residentes das capitais de Estados brasileiros não são incluídos no estudo. Entretanto, isso é amenizado por meio da utilização de fatores de ponderação dos dados, que buscam calcular os percentuais, considerando as diferenças nas variáveis demográficas da amostra do VIGITEL em relação às características da população total, com a pósestratificação.…”

Association between Neighborhood Parks and Leisure-time Physical Activity among Adult Mexican Women (Asociación entre parques de barrio y actividad física recreativa en mujeres mexicanas adultas)

“…Other studies elsewhere had also reported no association between parks and LTPA in females. Recent analyses concluded that, although distance to parks is generally associated with increased activity, this link is more dependent on the type of parks (Bojorquez, Ojeda-Revah, & Diaz, 2018;Jáuregui et al, 2017;Salvo et al, 2017;Soltero, Scherezade, Pacheco, & Lee, 2015). Other built environment factors associated with park accessibility such as street connectivity, sidewalks, street lighting and perceived neighborhood safety and walkability may also influence women's NPA, as suggested by some studies (García-Pérez & Lara-Valencia, 2016;Joseph & Maddock, 2016).…”