Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study is to delineate the association between residents’ perception of the neighborhood’s environments and walking time in objectively different regions in Japan.
Methods
Two regions were selected as high and low walkable regions on the basis of differences in their residential density, mixed land use and street connectivity. The subjects in this study were participants in a health promotion program focused on walking sponsored by local governments. A questionnaire was sent to the participants asking about how their perception of the neighborhood’s environment related to walking, and the time spent walking per week. There were 237 residents from the high walkable region and 195 from the low walkable region who completed the study survey.
Results
The high walkable region had a larger residential density, a high mixed land use and a higher street connectivity than the low walkable region. Walking time, and the scores of the perception of the neighborhood’s environment for the high walkable region residents were significantly higher than those for the low walkable region residents. Thus, residents’ perception of the neighborhood’s environment generally reflected the actual physical environmental characteristics. Residents in the high walkable region whose scores for accessibility and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time. Residents in the low walkable region whose scores for accessibility, safety, convenience and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time.
Conclusion
The study results suggested that the neighborhood’s environment may influence daily walking time. The perceptions of the neighborhood’s environmental factors that correlate with walking times differ between the different regional physical environments. Therefore, to promote physical activity, the consideration of environmental factors unique to residents’ neighborhood’s environments is needed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: International Medical Publishing; 1996.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. National Health and Nutrition Survey. Tokyo: Danichi-Shuppan; 2001. (Japanese)
Craig CL, Cameron C, Russell SJ, Beaulieu A. Increasing Physical Activity: Creating a Supportive Recreation and Sport System. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2001.
Armstrong T, Bauman A, Davis J. Physical Activity Patterns of Australian Adults. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2000.
Ministry of Health. Labour and Welfare, Healthy Japan 21: The National Health Movement in the 21st Century. Tokyo: Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: 2000. (Japanese)
Sallis JF, Owen N. Physical Activity and Behavioral Medicine. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 1999.
Trost SG, Owen N, Bauman AE, Sallis JF, Brown W. Correlates of adults’ participation in physical activity: review and update. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;34:1996–2001.
Cervero R, Radisch C. Travel choices in pedestrian versus automobile oriented neighborhoods. Transport Policy. 1996; 3:127–141.
Kockelman KM. Travel behavior as function of accessibility, land use mixing, and land use balance: evidence from San Francisco Bay area. Transportation Research Record. 1997; 1607:116–125.
Giles-Corti B, Donovan RJ. The relative influence of individual, social and physical environment determinants of physical activity. Soc Sci Med. 2002;54:1793–1812.
Brownson RC, Housemann RA, Brown DR, Jackson-Thompson J, King AC, Malone BR, et al. Promoting physical activity in low walkable communities: walking trail access, use, and effects. Am J Prev Med. 2000;18:235–241.
Triped PJ, Saunders RP, Pate RR, Reininger B, Ureda JR, Thompson SJ. Associations between self-reported and objective physical environmental factors and use of a community rail-trail. Prev Med. 2001;32:191–200.
Handy SL. High walkable form and pedestrian choices: study of Austin neighborhoods Transportation Research Record. 1996;1552:135–144.
Leslie E, Saelens B, Frank L, Owen N, Bauman A, Coffee N, et al. Resident’s perceptions of wakability attributes in objectively different neighborhoods: a pilot study. Health & Place. 2005;11:227–236.
Frank L, Schmid T, Sallis J, Chapmes J, Saelens B. Linking objectively measured physical activity with objectively measured urban form: findings from SMARTRAQ. Am J Prev Med. 2005;28 (Suppl. 2):117–125.
Saelens B, Sallis J, Black J, Chen D. Neighborhood-based differences in physical activity: an environment scale evaluation. Am J Public Health. 2003;93:1552–1558.
Humpel N, Owen N, Leslie E. Environmental factors associated with adults’ participation in physical activity: a review. Am J Prev Med. 2002;22:188–199.
Humpel N, Owen N, Iverson D, Leslie E, Bauman A. Perceived environment attributes, residential location, and walking for particular purposes. Am J Prev Med. 2004; 26:119–125.
Ross CE. Walking, exercising and smoking: does neighborhood matter? Soc Sci Med. 2000;51:265–274.
Craig CL, Brownson RC, Cragg SE, Dunn AL. Exploring the effect of the environment on physical activity: a study examining walking to work. Am J Prev Med. 2002;23(Suppl. 2):36–43.
Wilcox S, Castro C, King AC, Housemann R, Brownson RC. Determinants of leisure time physical activity in low walkable compared with high walkable older and ethnically diverse women in the United States. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2000;54:667–672.
Parks SE, Housemann RA Brownson RC. Differential correlates of physical activity in high walkable and low walkable adults of various socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003;57:29–35.
Sallis JF, Frank LD, Saelens BE, Kraft MK. Active transportation and physical activity: opportunities for collaboration on transportation and public health research. Transportation Research Part A. 2004;38:249–268.
Kirtland KA, Porter DE, Addy CL, Neet MJ, Williams JE, Sharpe PA, et al. Environmental measures of physical activity support. Perception versus reality. Am J Prev Med. 2003; 24:323–330.
Humpel N, Owen N, Leslie E, Marshall AL, Bauman AE, Sallis JF. Associations of location and perceived environmental attributes with walking in neighborhoods. Am J Health Promot. 2004;18:239–242.
Addy CL, Wilson DK, Kirtland KA, Ainsworth BE, Sharpe P, Kimey D. Association of perceived social and physical environmental supports with physical activity and walking behavior. Am J Public Health. 2004;94:440–443.
Powell KE, Martin LM, Chowdhury PP. Places to walk: convenience and regular physical activity. Am J Public Health. 2003;93:1519–1521.
Ball K, Bauman A, Leslie E, Owen N. Perceived environmental aesthetics and convenience and company are associated with walking for exercise among Australian adults. Prev Med. 2001;33:434–440.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, J.S., Kawakubo, K., Kohri, S. et al. Association between residents’ perception of the neighborhood’s environments and walking time in objectively different regions. Environ Health Prev Med 12, 3–10 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898186
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898186