Physical Activity in an Immersive Recreational Built Environment: A Day-Level Analysis of Theme Park Exposure

The built environment comprises human-made spaces that influence our behavior, and theme parks allow the study of physical activity in a highly developed and immersive environment. In this sample (n = 33, 34.5 ± 10.4 years, 78.8% female), physical activity (steps/day) was collected retrospectively over a 7-day period at baseline and during their time spent in Walt Disney World (WDW) resort. Categorical park exposure was defined as baseline days at home, scheduled off days during travel, single-park days, and multiple-park days. Steps were lowest during the baseline week at home, followed by scheduled off days during the trip (12,690, 95% CI 11,017 to 14,364 steps/day), single-park days (20,032, 95% CI 18,762 to 21,301 steps/day), and multiple-park days (25,309, 95% CI 24,211 to 26,406 steps/day) (all pairwise, P < .001). Participants accumulated more daily physical activity during their WDW visit compared with baseline days at home. Immersive and walkable built environments promote higher levels of incidental physical activity without intentional exercise.