Neighbourhood environmental attributes associated with walking in South Australian adults: Differences between urban and rural areas

Berry, Narelle, Coffee, Neil, Nolan, Rebecca, Dollman, James and Sugiyama, Takemi (2017) Neighbourhood environmental attributes associated with walking in South Australian adults: Differences between urban and rural areas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14 (9). ISSN 1660-4601

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Abstract

Although the health benefits of walking are well established, participation is lower in rural areas compared to urban areas. Most studies on walkability and walking have been conducted in urban areas, thus little is known about the relevance of walkability to rural areas. A computer-assisted telephone survey of 2402 adults (aged ≥18 years) was conducted to determine walking behaviour and perceptions of neighbourhood walkability. Data were stratified by urban (n = 1738) and rural (n = 664). A greater proportion of respondents reported no walking in rural (25.8%) compared to urban areas (18.5%). Compared to urban areas, rural areas had lower walkability scores and urban residents reported higher frequency of walking. The association of perceived walkability with walking was significant only in urban areas. These results suggest that environmental factors associated with walking in urban areas may not be relevant in rural areas. Appropriate walkability measures specific to rural areas should be further researched.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	walking,walkability,rural,urban,environment
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Nutrition and Preventive Medicine
Related URLs:	http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/9/965
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	01 Sep 2017 05:07
Last Modified:	04 Mar 2024 17:37
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/64714
DOI:	10.3390/ijerph14090965

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