Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Using a Real-Time Locating System to Measure Walking Activity Associated with Wandering Behaviors Among Institutionalized Older Adults
Published on: February 8, 2019
Objective versus subjective measures of the built environment, which are most effective in capturing associations
1Interdisciplinary Program for the Ph.D. in Urban Design & Planning, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. LL3@u.washington.edu
Abstract:
This study compared the strength of association of objective and subjective measures of environment with walking sufficiently for health. It used an existing model, which employed only objective environmental measures and adjusted for socio-demographic covariates, to estimate the influence of the built environment on walking. The original model was re-run with new, subjectively measured variables. The results showed that objective measures of the built environment had stronger associations with walking than subjective measures. Future studies of the environmental influences on physical activity should include objective measures of the built environment.
