Perceived and Objective Measures of Neighborhood Walkability and Physical Activity among Adults in Japan: A Multilevel Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample

Although associations between a person's neighborhood and their health have been studied internationally, most studies have been limited to a few cities or towns. Therefore, we used a nationally representative sample to explore whether perceived and objective neighborhood walkability was associ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2015-10, Vol.12 (10), p.13350-13364
Main Authors: Hanibuchi, Tomoya, Nakaya, Tomoki, Yonejima, Mayuko, Honjo, Kaori
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cities
Cross-Sectional Studies
Environment Design
Exercise
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Geographic Information Systems
Humans
Japan
Leisure Activities
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
Motor Activity
Multilevel Analysis
Neighborhoods
Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data
Social Environment
Surveys and Questionnaires
Walking
Young Adult
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Summary:Although associations between a person's neighborhood and their health have been studied internationally, most studies have been limited to a few cities or towns. Therefore, we used a nationally representative sample to explore whether perceived and objective neighborhood walkability was associated with the physical activity of residents. Data were analyzed from the Japanese General Social Surveys of 2010 (n = 2395; 1114 men and 1281 women). Perceived walkability was scored using factor analysis for the respondents' perceptions of neighborhood conditions, while objective walkability was measured using the geographic information system approach. Finally, multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to examine whether neighborhood walkability was associated with the frequency of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among respondents. We found that perceived walkability was positively associated with the frequency of LTPA (odds ratio of the highest quartile was 1.53 (1.14-2.05) compared with the lowest quartile); however, objective walkability showed no association. When stratified by gender, an association between perceived walkability and LTPA was observed among women, but only a marginally significant association was present between objective walkability and LTPA among men. We conclude that the association between neighborhood walkability and LTPA can be partially generalized across Japan.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph121013350