Neighborhood Built Environment Measures and Association with Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in 9–14-Year-Old Children in Saskatoon, Canada

Abstract

This study assessed whether perceptual and researcher-rated measures of neighborhood-built environments (BEs) predict device-based multiple activity-related outcomes, specifically: moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA), and sedentary time (ST), in children. Eight hundred and sixteen children aged 9–14 years from Saskatoon, Canada, were surveyed on their perceptions of BE, and their PA outcomes were objectively monitored for one week at three different time frames over a one-year period, September 2014 to August 2015. The researcher-rated BE measures were collected by trained researchers using multiple BE audit tools: neighborhood active living potential (NALP) and Irvine Minnesota inventory (IMI), 2009–2010. A multilevel modeling approach was taken to understand BE influences of children’s PA outcomes. Children’s perceived availability of parks and sidewalks predicted a higher accumulation of MVPA and a lower accumulation of ST. Children’s report of the absence of neighborhood social disorder (e.g., threats from scary dogs/people) predicted a higher LPA, while reported concern about crime predicted a lower MVPA. Researcher-rated neighborhood activity friendliness predicted a lower ST, however, researcher-rated safety from crime predicted a higher ST. Perceived BE characteristic were stronger predictors of children’s PA outcomes compared to researcher-rated BE factors.

The Role of the Neighborhood Social Environment in Physical Activity among Hispanic Children: Moderation by Cultural Factors and Mediation by Neighborhood Norms

“…The neighborhood environment can affect child physical activity levels, for example, by influencing whether they can safely walk to a park or playground [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In addition, children may observe more residents engaging in physical activity when living in safe and secure neighborhoods.…”

The relationship between changes in neighborhood physical environment and changes in physical activity among children: a prospective cohort study

“…observed an association between sidewalks and children’s PA; specifically, the absence of sidewalks in the neighborhood was associated with 2.6 fewer minutes per day of moderate to vigorous PA and with 7 more minutes per day of sedentary time among 9-14-year-old Canadian children. [ 36 ].…”

“…Results from cross-sectional studies examining associations between parks and children’s PA have also been mixed, with some observing increased PA with higher park density or proximity, [ 36 – 39 ] and others finding no association. [ 40 – 46 ] The current analysis did not show associations between changes in the number of parks and PA behaviors; however, this null result might derive from the limited change in the number of parks over the follow-up period.…”

Identifying risk profiles for excess sedentary behaviour in youth using individual, family and neighbourhood characteristics

“…Children and adolescents in developed nations devote much of their discretionary time to sedentary pursuits. Sedentary behaviour (SB) is characterised by energy expenditure ≤ 1.5 metabolic equivalents ( Tremblay et al, 2017 , Bejarano et al, 2019 , Bringolf-Isler et al, 2018 , Goon et al, 2020 , Lotoski et al, 2021 ), involving predominantly prolonged sitting, watching television, reading, using the computer and other mobile devices, or passive transportation. Canadian children and youth are sedentary an average of 8.3 h per day, representing approximately 62% of their waking hours ( Larouche et al, 2016 ), with similar trends being reported in American children and adolescents ( Yang et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Hoffmann and colleagues reported an inverse association between household income and SB ( Hoffmann et al, 2017 ), while Atkin and colleagues observed a positive association between SES and objectively measured SB ( Atkin et al, 2013 ). At the neighbourhood level, a variety of features have been investigated, including perceived traffic-related and general area-level safety ( Bringolf-Isler et al, 2018 , Júdice et al, 2021 , Lenhart et al, 2017 , Parker et al, 2019 ), presence of green spaces and PA facilities ( Goon et al, 2020 , Parker et al, 2019 , Hinckson et al, 2017 ), and walkability, street connectivity, land use mix and density of destinations ( Hinckson et al, 2017 , Sallis et al, 2018 , Bejarano et al, 2019 , Bringolf-Isler et al, 2018 , Goon et al, 2020 , Lotoski et al, 2021 ). However, as concluded in several systematic reviews, few neighbourhood-level features are consistently associated with SB ( Stierlin et al, 2015 , Arundell et al, 2016 , Parajára et al, 2020 ).…”