Perceived and objective environmental measures and physical activity among urban adults

Perceptions of Neighborhood Park Quality: Associations with Physical Activity and Body Mass Index

“…Furthermore, some studies show differences between perceived versus objective measures of park characteristics [25][26][27], and perceived measures may be even more important in predicting physical activity and health [28,29]. Specifically, although studies indicate that people may not always know accurate information about their parks [27,30], these perceptions, even if incorrect compared with observational measures, are significant because people make their decisions based on their perceptions.…”

“…Furthermore, as perceptions and meanings of parks can be formed even without having visited [31], understanding nonvisitor residents' perceptions of their neighborhood parks is also important. Most research on perceptions of park characteristics and physical activity has focused on perceptions of access and availability [24,25,29,32]. For example, Hoehner et al [25] found that recreational activity was associated with perceived access to recreational facilities (e.g., parks and walking trails).…”

“…Most research on perceptions of park characteristics and physical activity has focused on perceptions of access and availability [24,25,29,32]. For example, Hoehner et al [25] found that recreational activity was associated with perceived access to recreational facilities (e.g., parks and walking trails). Ries et al [32] found that the perception of more availability of parks was positively associated with weekly minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.…”

“…Specifically, perceived safety [33], perceived availability of facilities [25,34], perceived maintenance and condition of facilities [35,36], perceived attractiveness [16,37], and perceived use [32,38] are related to park use or physical activity. For example, Ries et al [32] found that greater perceived park quality pertaining to the amenities available, maintenance, aesthetics, and safety was associated with more than two times greater odds of using parks, but no association was found between park quality and physical activity.…”

Effect of Bike Lane Infrastructure Improvements on Ridership in One New Orleans Neighborhood

“…as mixed land use where shops and public services are dispersed within residential areas, increased housing density, availability of public transit, and sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes can increase the possibility that people will walk or bike to meet their daily needs [6][7][8][9]. The more attributes present, i.e., local shops, transit, sidewalks, and bike facilities, the greater the likelihood that an adult living near those attributes will meet the guidelines for physical activity [10].…”