Objectives. To develop a walkability index specific to mixed rural/suburban areas, and to explore the relationship between walkability scores and leisure time physical activity. Methods. Respondents were geocoded with 500 m and 1,000 m buffer zones around each address. A walkability index was derived from intersections, residential density, and land-use mix according to built environment measur...

OBJECTIVES To estimate the associations of neighbourhood walkability (based on Geographic Information System (GIS)-derived measures of street connectivity, land use mix, and population density and the Walk Score) with self-reported utilitarian walking and accelerometer-assessed daily steps in Canadian adults. DESIGN A cross-sectional analysis of data collected as part of the Canadian Health M...

We examined prospectively whether persons who perceive their objectively measured high walkable environment as low walkable decrease their walking more and gain more weight than those with matched perceptions. Walkability was measured objectively using GIS. Corresponding perceptions were collected using the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale from 1027 urban Australian adults. Objective ...

The literature on environmental walkability to date has mainly focused on walking and related health outcomes. While previous studies suggest associations between walking and spatial knowledge, the associations between environmental walkability and spatial knowledge is yet to be explored. The current study addresses this lacuna in research by exploring children's mental representations of their...

Causal evidence for the built environment's role in supporting physical activity is needed to inform land use and transportation policies. This quasi-longitudinal residential relocation study compared within-person changes in self-reported transportation walking, transportation cycling, and overall physical activity during the past 12 months among adults who did and did not move to a different ...

This research explores the correlation between ‘walkability’ and the ‘sense of place’ in Tehran’s streets, particularly streets leading to the Imam Khomeini square (Maidan-e Tup-khana) at the heart of historic downtown. The goal is to evaluate the walkability through a measurable method in order to prioritize strategies to enhance various aspects of the historic districts. After reviewing the e...

A method to evaluate the walkability of an urban neighbourhood based on direct observation has been applied. This tool, called the Walking Suitability Index of the Territory (T-WSI), measures the walkability of every street of an environmental area. It includes 12 weighted indicators, each divided into 4 categories: practicability, safety, urbanity, and pleasantness. Each indicator can obtain o...

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated a neighborhood environment survey and compared the physical activity and weight status of the residents in 2 neighborhoods. METHODS On 2 occasions, 107 adults from neighborhoods with differing "walkability" were selected to complete a survey on their neighborhood environment. Physical activity was assessed by self-report and by accelerometer; height and weight ...

Objective measures of environmental attributes have been used to understand how neighborhood environments relate to physical activity. However, this method relies on detailed spatial data, which are often not easily available. Walk Score® is a free, publicly available web-based tool that shows how walkable a given location is based on objectively-derived proximity to several types of local dest...

BACKGROUND Using data from the SHAPE trial, a randomized 6-month neighborhood-based intervention designed to increase walking activity among older adults, this study identified and analyzed social-ecological factors mediating and moderating changes in walking activity. METHODS Three potential mediators (social cohesion, walking efficacy, and perception of neighborhood problems) and minutes of...