The association of neighborhood design and recreational environments with physical activity

Purpose. To determine the association of neighborhood design factors and recreational environments with physical activity. Methods. Randomly selected adults (n = 102, 52% female, 81% white, mean age 48 years) completed a survey of eight neighborhood design variables, convenient recreational facilities, and availability of home equipment. Physical activity was measured by self-report and 7 days of accelerometer monitoring. Results. Residential density and an overall environment index were significantly related to both vigorous-intensity self-reported (r = .35 and .28, respectively) and objectively measured physical activity (r = .39 and .23, respectively). Home equipment was correlated with self-reported total (r = .34) and vigorous leisure-time physical activity (r = .27). The vigorous and total activity accelerometer measures were correlated with street connectivity (r = .25 and .21, respectively). Discussion. Few self-reported neighborhood design factors and recreational environment variables were correlated with physical activity, and some findings were unexpected.