Background Research studies have shown the importance of built environment in affecting people’s physical activity. Lack of sidewalks, nearby parks, and recreation centers in the neighborhood are believed to be some of the key environmental barriers to physical activity. On the other hand, factors such as presence of crosswalks, ...
Background Humans have an innate connection and attraction to nature, often referred to as ‘biophilia.’ Exposure to nature has been reported to have a positive impact on health, and several studies have documented that engaging in physical activity outdoors improves mental health and well being. Exact mechanisms remain unknown but ...
Background Increasing understanding of environmental and social correlates of physical activity can inform environmental and policy changes that help create active communities for youth. An emerging body of research suggests that all youth may not have the same level of access to physical activity resources and this may explain socioeconomic ...
Background The local build environment is believed to play an important role in youth physical activity (PA) as their independent mobility is restricted. To be able to target interventions to promote PA among youth knowledge about objectively measured PA patterns is important. We would like to be able to answer ...
Background Schools provide a unique setting for the promotion of physical activity (PA) in children through structured physical education, recesses, extracurricular sports and promotion of community activities. Because recesses may contribute up to 40% of moderate/vigorous activity, approaches that increase activity during recess are of interest. A number of recent ...
This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of two self-report physical activity (PA) questionnaires - the AQuAA (Activity Questionnaire for Adults and Adolescents) and PASE (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly) - in cancer patients. Methods Test-retest reliability was determined by administering the questionnaires twice within 5 days. Intraclass ...
Background Smart growth (SG) urban planning strategies (e.g., preservation of open space, integration of mixed land uses, establishment of compact building design, creation of walkable neighborhoods) may increase physical activity and prevent obesity in children. However, little is known about whether and how frequently children living in SG communities ...
Background Perceptions of neighborhood safety are important environmental factors associated with physical activity. Safety is a multi-layered concept that is perceived differently by different groups of people (e.g., adults vs. children, male vs. female, white vs. non-white Hispanic) and for different judgmental criteria (e.g., safety from crime, traffic ...
Background Although physical activity fosters healthy development among children (such as reducing obesity and type 2 diabetes risk as well as promoting positive mental well-being), less than half of children meet national physical activity guidelines. The accumulating research indicates that neighborhood environmental characteristics (e.g. access to walking destinations and community ...
Background Increasingly the combination of GPS, GIS and accelerometry is being employed in research on physical activity and the environment. GPS has potential as an objective and accurate method of collecting data on journeys and places used that does not suffer some of the drawbacks of alternative methods. Several studies ...