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Understanding environmental influences on walking - Review and research agenda

journal contribution
posted on 2004-07-01, 00:00 authored by N Owen, N Humpel, Evie Leslie, A Bauman, J Sallis
Background
Understanding how environmental attributes can influence particular physical activity behaviors is a public health research priority. Walking is the most common physical activity behavior of adults; environmental innovations may be able to influence rates of participation.

Method
Review of studies on relationships of objectively assessed and perceived environmental attributes with walking. Associations with environmental attributes were examined separately for exercise and recreational walking, walking to get to and from places, and total walking.

Results
Eighteen studies were identified. Aesthetic attributes, convenience of facilities for walking (sidewalks, trails); accessibility of destinations (stores, park, beach); and perceptions about traffic and busy roads were found to be associated with walking for particular purposes. Attributes associated with walking for exercise were different from those associated with walking to get to and from places.

Conclusions

While few studies have examined specific environment–walking relationships, early evidence is promising. Key elements of the research agenda are developing reliable and valid measures of environmental attributes and walking behaviors, determining whether environment–behavior relationships are causal, and developing theoretical models that account for environmental influences and their interactions with other determinants.

History

Journal

American journal of preventive medicine

Volume

27

Issue

1

Pagination

67 - 76

Publisher

Elsevier Inc.

Location

New York, N.Y.

ISSN

0749-3797

eISSN

1873-2607

Language

eng

Notes

Available online 19 June 2004.

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2004, American Journal of Preventive Medicine

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