Environmental factors associated with adults’ participation in physical activity: A review

doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(01)00426-3

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Volume 22, Issue 3, April 2002, Pages 188-199

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(01)00426-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

Background: Promoting physical activity is a public health priority, and changes in the environmental contexts of adults’ activity choices are believed to be crucial. However, of the factors associated with physical activity, environmental influences are among the least understood.

Method: Using journal scans and computerized literature database searches, we identified 19 quantitative studies that assessed the relationships with physical activity behavior of perceived and objectively determined physical environment attributes. Findings were categorized into those examining five categories: accessibility of facilities, opportunities for activity, weather, safety, and aesthetic attributes.

Results: Accessibility, opportunities, and aesthetic attributes had significant associations with physical activity. Weather and safety showed less-strong relationships. Where studies pooled different categories to create composite variables, the associations were less likely to be statistically significant.

Conclusions: Physical environment factors have consistent associations with physical activity behavior. Further development of ecologic and environmental models, together with behavior-specific and context-specific measurement strategies, should help in further understanding of these associations. Prospective studies are required to identify possible causal relationships.

Section snippets

Introductions

Regular physical activity is strongly associated with better physical and psychological health outcomes, and the promotion of physical activity is now a high public health priority.1 To develop relevant policies and effective interventions, it is necessary to identify the factors that can be changed to influence physical activity behavior.2 Such factors have been classified within seven domains: demographic and biological, psychological, cognitive and emotional, behavioral attributes and

Methods

Our primary inclusion criterion was relationships between particular physical environment attributes and physical activity behaviors. Only studies that assessed some physical activity behavior or behaviors as an outcome variable or variables were included. Specific items within the assessment instruments from each study that related to the physical environment were, where possible, extracted for the purposes of this review. If a theory or construct was mentioned as guiding the study, this was

Results

Using the above criteria, we identified 19 studies, of which 16 examined the relationship between the perceived physical environments and physical activity.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 Four of the studies used objective measures of the environment, including place of residence (using postal codes), physical distance, and accessibility of facilities.29, 30, 31, 32 One study included both perceived and objective measures.29 Twelve of the 19 studies identified an

Discussion

The associations of environmental attributes with physical activity have thus far been examined in a relatively limited set of studies. This review has examined the evidence for these relationships and highlighted relevant aspects of the measures that have been used in these studies. There were inherent difficulties, as some studies combined several physical environment items into an “overall” measure and compared that total score to physical activity behavior. Where it was possible to identify

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Review and special articleEnvironmental factors associated with adults’ participation in physical activity: A review☆

Abstract

Section snippets

Introductions

Methods

Results

Discussion

Am J Prev Med

Prev Med

Prev Med

Prev Med

Aust N Z J Public Health

Prev Med

Prev Med

Prev Med

Prev Med

Soc Sci Med

Prev Med

Aust N Z J Public Health

Am J Prev Med

Physical activity and healtha report of the Surgeon General

Determinants and interventions for physical activity and exercise

Physical activity and behavioral medicine

Ecological models

Environmental determinants of physical activity and sedentary behavior

Exerc Sport Sci Rev

Review and special article
Environmental factors associated with adults’ participation in physical activity: A review☆