Moving to an Activity-Friendly Community Can Increase Physical Activity.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Urban Planning
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Activity-friendly communities (AFCs) are recognized for promoting physical activity (PA).
• Causal links between community environments and PA levels require further investigation.
• Existing research primarily relies on cross-sectional data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if relocating to an AFC causally increases PA in adults.
• To quantify the change in PA levels post-relocation to an AFC.
• To compare PA changes in residents of AFCs versus non-AFCs.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post, case-comparison study design was employed.
• Accelerometer and survey data were collected from 115 adults (37 cases, 78 comparisons).
• Difference-in-difference and fixed-effect models, including Propensity Score Matching, were used for analysis.

Main Results:

• Moving to an AFC resulted in an average increase of 10.88 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA).
• Fixed-effect models confirmed a significant increase in daily MVPA post-relocation.
• Individuals with lower baseline activity and higher income showed greater MVPA increases.

Conclusions:

• Relocation to an AFC significantly enhances residents' PA levels.
• This study provides causal evidence supporting AFCs as effective interventions for PA promotion.
• AFCs demonstrate potential as sustainable strategies for increasing population-level PA.