Home and workplace built environment supports for physical activity

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Physical inactivity is linked to obesity and chronic diseases.
• Understanding built environment (BE) influences on physical activity (PA) domains is vital for public health interventions.
• Home and workplace BE features impact PA across life domains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between home and workplace BE features and PA in specific life domains.
• Investigate how neighborhood characteristics influence leisure, work, and travel-related PA.

Main Methods:

• Telephone interviews conducted with participants in four Missouri metropolitan areas (2012-2013).
• Data collected on sociodemographics, home/workplace BE supports, and dietary behaviors.
• Logistic regression analysis used to assess associations between BE features and domain-specific PA.

Main Results:

• Home neighborhood features (e.g., amenities, safety, aesthetics) associated with leisure PA.
• Higher global scores of home neighborhood BE features linked to increased odds of travel, leisure, and total PA.
• Workplace BE features showed small, expected associations with workplace PA.

Conclusions:

• Empirical evidence supports BE's role in domain-specific PA.
• Diverse, walkable neighborhoods near workplaces promote active transport (walking, cycling, transit).
• Findings can inform future BE assessments for public health and urban planning.