Exploring the Associations of Walking Behavior with Neighborhood Environments by Different Life Stages: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Smaller Chinese City

Ziwen Sun, Ka Yan Lai, Simon Bell, Iain Scott and Xiaomeng Zhang
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Ziwen Sun: OPENspace Research Centre, Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH1 2LE, UK
Ka Yan Lai: Healthy High Density Cities Lab, HKUrbanLab, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China
Simon Bell: OPENspace Research Centre, Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH1 2LE, UK
Iain Scott: OPENspace Research Centre, Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH1 2LE, UK
Xiaomeng Zhang: Centre for Global Health, Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Because of high population density and rapid urbanization, different human life stages have distinct growth experiences, leading to different lifestyles and age-spatial separation in the same neighborhood environment, particularly in smaller Chinese cities. The relationship of environment to physical activity may differ from western or larger Chinese cities. This study examined the associations of walking duration to the neighborhood environment and other factors, and explored the nuances of walking behavior for different life stages of adults in a smaller Chinese city, Yuncheng. An interviewer-administered questionnaire survey ( n = 173) and face-to-face interviews ( n = 19) were conducted in August 2017. Descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression were performed to describe walking motivations, sociodemographic characteristics, neighborhood environments, and their impacts on walking duration across three life stages. The quantitative findings were followed by interviews to validate and interpret them. Our results showed no positive associations of land-use mix (LUM) and residential density on walking duration, and even inverse associations of LUM-recreation and LUM-education for specific life stages were identified. Younger people’s walking behavior was more related to consumption amenities distinct from those of older people. Our findings suggest that using walkable neighborhood policies (e.g., high residential density and land-use mix) to increase physical activity might be ineffective in smaller Chinese cities.

Keywords: walkability; age-spatial separation; everyday life; neighborhood environment; smaller Chinese cities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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