Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Active Transportation in Adults from Eight Latin American Countries

Antonio Castillo-Paredes, Beatriz Iglésias, Claudio Farías-Valenzuela, Irina Kovalskys, Georgina Gómez, Attilio Rigotti, Lilia Yadira Cortés, Martha Cecilia Yépez García, Rossina G. Pareja, Marianella Herrera-Cuenca, Mauro Fisberg, Clemens Drenowatz, Paloma Ferrero-Hernández and Gerson Ferrari ()
Additional contact information
Antonio Castillo-Paredes: Grupo AFySE, Investigación en Actividad Física y Salud Escolar, Escuela de Pedagogía en Educación Física, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago 8370040, Chile
Beatriz Iglésias: Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal
Claudio Farías-Valenzuela: Sciences of Physical Activity, Sports and Health School, University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170022, Chile
Irina Kovalskys: Faculty of Medical Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires C1107, Argentina
Georgina Gómez: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
Attilio Rigotti: Department of Nutrition, Diabetes and Metabolism, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago 8330024, Chile
Lilia Yadira Cortés: Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
Martha Cecilia Yépez García: Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 17-1200-841, Ecuador
Rossina G. Pareja: Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, Lima 15026, Peru
Marianella Herrera-Cuenca: Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo, Universidad Central de Venezuela (CENDES-UCV)/Fundación Bengoa, Caracas 1053, Venezuela
Mauro Fisberg: Centro de Excelencia em Nutrição e Dificuldades Alimentaes (CENDA), Instituto Pensi, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setubal, Hospital Infantil Sabará, São Paulo 01228-200, Brazil
Clemens Drenowatz: Division of Sport, Physical Activity and Health, University of Education Upper Austria, 4020 Linz, Austria
Paloma Ferrero-Hernández: Faculty of Education and Culture, SEK University, Santiago 7520317, Chile
Gerson Ferrari: Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia, Santiago 7500912, Chile

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: Neighborhood built environment is associated with domain-specific physical activity. However, few studies with representative samples have examined the association between perceived neighborhood safety indicators and domain-specific active transportation in Latin America. This study aimed to examine the associations of perceived neighborhood safety with domain-specific active transportation in adults from eight Latin American countries. Data were obtained from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health ( n = 8547, aged 18–65). Active transportation (walking and cycling) was assessed using the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Specifically, traffic density and speed as well as street lightening, visibility of residents regarding pedestrians and bicyclists, traffic lights and crosswalks, safety of public spaces during the day and at night, crime rate during the day and at night were used to evaluate perceived neighborhood safety. Slow traffic speeds, unsafe public spaces during the day, and crime during the day were associated with ≥10 min/week vs. <10 min/week of walking. Furthermore, drivers exceeding the speed limit and crime rate during the day were associated with reporting ≥10 min/week vs. <10 min/week of cycling. These results indicate a stronger association of the perceived neighborhood safety with walking compared to cycling.

Keywords: active transportation; active commuting; barriers; Latin America (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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