Linking objectively measured physical activity with objectively measured urban form

Background: To date, nearly all research on physical activity and the built environment is based on self-reported physical activity and perceived assessment of the built environment.

Objective: To assess how objectively measured levels of physical activity are related with objectively measured aspects of the physical environment around each participant’s home while controlling for sociodemographic covariates.

Methods: Objective measures of the built environment unique to each household’s physical location were developed within a geographic information system to assess land-use mix, residential density, and street connectivity. These measures were then combined into a walkability index. Accelerometers were deployed over a 2-day period to capture objective levels of physical activity in 357 adults.

Conclusions: This research supports the hypothesis that community design is significantly associated with moderate levels of physical activity. These results support the rationale for the development of policy that promotes increased levels of land-use mix, street connectivity, and residential density as interventions that can have lasting public health benefits.