Neighborhood Built Environment Measures and Association with Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in 9–14-Year-Old Children in Saskatoon, Canada

Shatabdi Goon, Saija Kontulainen and Nazeem Muhajarine
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Shatabdi Goon: Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2Z4, Canada
Saija Kontulainen: College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B2, Canada
Nazeem Muhajarine: Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2Z4, Canada

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: This study assessed whether perceptual and researcher-rated measures of neighborhood-built environments (BEs) predict device-based multiple activity-related outcomes, specifically: moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA), and sedentary time (ST), in children. Eight hundred and sixteen children aged 9–14 years from Saskatoon, Canada, were surveyed on their perceptions of BE, and their PA outcomes were objectively monitored for one week at three different time frames over a one-year period, September 2014 to August 2015. The researcher-rated BE measures were collected by trained researchers using multiple BE audit tools: neighborhood active living potential (NALP) and Irvine Minnesota inventory (IMI), 2009–2010. A multilevel modeling approach was taken to understand BE influences of children’s PA outcomes. Children’s perceived availability of parks and sidewalks predicted a higher accumulation of MVPA and a lower accumulation of ST. Children’s report of the absence of neighborhood social disorder (e.g., threats from scary dogs/people) predicted a higher LPA, while reported concern about crime predicted a lower MVPA. Researcher-rated neighborhood activity friendliness predicted a lower ST, however, researcher-rated safety from crime predicted a higher ST. Perceived BE characteristic were stronger predictors of children’s PA outcomes compared to researcher-rated BE factors.

Keywords: children; physical activity; sedentary time; neighborhood; built environment; audit tools; NALP; IMI; perception; researcher-rated (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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