Perceptions of the built environment in relation to physical activity in Portuguese adolescents (original) (raw)
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Environment perception and leisure-time physical activity in Portuguese high school students
Preventive medicine reports, 2018
This study aims to analyze the association between perceived environmental factors and leisure-time physical activity (PA) among adolescents of both genders. Data were collected in autumn of 2011 from 866 adolescents (412 girls and 454 boys) 12- to 18-years-old, from four Portuguese cities. Perception of environmental factors was assessed by Assessing Levels of Physical Activity and Fitness (ALPHA) questionnaire (Spittaels et al., 2010, IJBNPA). PA was assessed by a questionnaire that evaluated PA during leisure-time and participants were assigned into the following categories: sedentary; low active; moderate active; and very active. Boys presented higher levels of structured PA, frequency and intensity of PA, and level of sport competition than girls ( < 0.001). Distance to local facilities ( = 0.001 for girls; < 0.001 for boys) and home environment ( = 0.004 for girls; = 0.015 for boys) were negatively associated with PA. Total, cycling and walking infrastructures ( < 0...
BMC public health, 2017
Physical activity is likely to be determined as a complex interplay between personal, interpersonal, and environmental factors. Studying the built environment involves expanding the focus from the individual perspective to a public health one. Therefore, the objetive of this study was to examine the association between the built environment and objectively-measured physical activity among youth. Cross-sectional analysis of data from of a Brazilian birth cohort during adolescence. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers (GENEActiv) and self-report (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, long version). Participants' home addresses were geocoded and built environment characteristics such as streets' pattern and quality, and public open spaces attributes for physical activity practice were evaluated in a 500-m circular buffer surrounding their homes. A total of 3379 participants were included. Street lighting (β = 2.2; 95%CI: 0.5; 3.9) was positively associat...
Annals of Human …, 2011
Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyse the associations between physical activity (PA) and several characteristics of the built environment with socioeconomic status (SES) in adolescent girls. Methods: The sample comprised 599 girls (mean age 14.7, SD ¼ 1.6 years) living in the Aveiro Region of Portugal. Questionnaires were used to describe physical activity level and perceived neighbourhood environments. SES was established by maternal education level. Girls were grouped into low, middle or high SES group. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that girls assigned to the higher SES group were more likely (OR ¼ 2.4; 95%CI ¼ 1.3 -4.5) to belong to the active group than their low SES peers. Girls in high (OR ¼ 2.4; 95%CC ¼ 1.3 -4.4) and medium (OR ¼ 1.6; 95%CC ¼ 1.14 -2.3) SES groups were more likely to have a higher perception of better aesthetics in their neighbourhoods than their low SES peers and higher SES was also associated with better perception of a street connectivity (OR ¼ 2.9; 95%CI ¼ 1.7-5.4). Conclusion: The study showed that girls of higher SES are more active than those of lower SES and that social background might be associated with differences in neighbourhood environmental perceptions.
Associations of built environment and children's physical activity: a narrative review
Reviews on environmental health, 2017
Childhood obesity has been an epidemic particularly in high-income countries. There is a considerable volume of data and studies depicting the rising number of obese children and adolescents in different countries. As suggested by the literature, physical inactivity is one the main drivers of childhood obesity. This paper addresses the associations of the built environment with physical activity of children in order to find to theoretically facilitate intervention and prevention measures. Literature: There is a large body of literature describing the overall determinants of children's physical activity. The built environment is one of the influential factors that have been partially examined. Among the physical environment indicators, distance to school has been repeatedly reported to be negatively associated with active travels to school; thus, it indirectly affects physical activity of children. Apart from distance to school, some other built environment indicators have also b...
Physical Activity, Overweight, and Perceptions of Neighborhood Environments Among Portuguese Girls
2006
Background: The purpose of this study was 1) to compare physical activity levels according to body-mass index; 2) to determine which, if any, neighborhood perceived attributes were related to overweight. Methods: The sample comprised 610 girls age 14.7 ± 1.6 y. Girls were grouped into normal weight and overweight. Environmental variables and physical activity were assessed by questionnaire. Results: No signifi cant differences were found in physical activity levels between normal weight and overweight girls. Logistic regression analysis revealed that girls who agreed that "there is so much traffi c on the streets that it makes it unpleasant to walk in the neighborhood" were more likely to be overweight (OR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.89). Conclusion: The study found no relationship between perceptions of the environment and overweight among Portuguese girls, except for perceptions of security for walking in the neighborhood.