BACKGROUND: Ecological models of health behaviour are an important conceptual framework to address the multiple correlates of obesity. Several single-country studies previously examined the relationship between the built environment and obesity in adults, but results are very diverse. An important reason for these mixed results is the limited variability in built environments in these single-country studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine associations between perceived neighbourhood built environmental attributes and BMI/weight status in a multi-country study including 12 environmentally and culturally diverse countries. METHODS: A multi-site cross-sectional study was conducted in 17 cities (study sites) across 12 countries (Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the UK and USA). Participants (n = 14222, 18-66 years) self-reported perceived neighbourhood environmental attributes. Height and weight were self-reported in eight countries, and measured in person in four countries. RESULTS: Three environmental attributes were associated with BMI or weight status in pooled data from 12 countries. Safety from traffic was the most robust correlate, suggesting that creating safe routes for walking/cycling by reducing the speed and volume of traffic might have a positive impact upon weight status/BMI across various geographical locations. Close proximity to several local destinations was associated with BMI across all countries, suggesting compact neighbourhoods with more places to walk related to lower BMI. Safety from crime showed a curvilinear relationship with BMI, with especially poor crime safety being related to higher BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Environmental interventions involving these three attributes appear to have international relevance and focusing on these might have implications for tackling overweight/obesity.

• MeSH
• charakteristiky bydlení * MeSH
• chůze MeSH
• cyklistika MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• index tělesné hmotnosti * MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• nadváha etnologie   etiologie   MeSH
• obezita etnologie   etiologie   MeSH
• pohybová aktivita * MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• socioekonomické faktory * MeSH
• tělesná hmotnost MeSH
• tělesná výška MeSH
• životní prostředí * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Austrálie MeSH
• Belgie MeSH
• Brazílie MeSH
• Česká republika MeSH
• Čína MeSH
• Dánsko MeSH
• Kolumbie MeSH
• Mexiko MeSH
• Nový Zéland MeSH
• Španělsko MeSH
• Spojené království MeSH
• Spojené státy americké MeSH

This study examined the strength and shape of associations between perceived environmental attributes and adults' recreational walking, using data collected from 13,745 adult participants in 12 countries. Perceived residential density, land use mix, street connectivity, aesthetics, safety from crime, and proximity to parks were linearly associated with recreational walking, while curvilinear associations were found for residential density, land use mix, and aesthetics. The observed associations were consistent across countries, except for aesthetics. Using data collected from environmentally diverse countries, this study confirmed findings from prior single-country studies. Present findings suggest that similar environmental attributes are associated with recreational walking internationally.

• MeSH
• charakteristiky bydlení statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• chůze psychologie   statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• estetika MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• městské obyvatelstvo MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• percepce MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
• regresní analýza MeSH
• rekreace MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• společenská třída MeSH
• srovnání kultur MeSH
• životní prostředí - projekt statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Austrálie MeSH
• Evropa MeSH
• Hongkong MeSH
• Jižní Amerika MeSH
• Mexiko MeSH
• Nový Zéland MeSH
• Spojené státy americké MeSH

PURPOSE: Environmental changes are potentially effective population-level physical activity (PA) promotion strategies. However, robust multisite evidence to guide international action for developing activity-supportive environments is lacking. We estimated pooled associations of perceived environmental attributes with objectively measured PA outcomes, between-site differences in such associations, and the extent to which perceived environmental attributes explain between-site differences in PA. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 16 cities located in Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States of America. Participants were 6968 adults residing in administrative units stratified by socioeconomic status and transport-related walkability. Predictors were 10 perceived neighborhood environmental attributes. Outcome measures were accelerometry-assessed weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and meeting the PA guidelines for cancer/weight gain prevention (420 min·wk of MVPA). RESULTS: Most perceived neighborhood attributes were positively associated with the PA outcomes in the pooled, site-adjusted, single-predictor models. Associations were generalizable across geographical locations. Aesthetics and land use mix-access were significant predictors of both PA outcomes in the fully adjusted models. Environmental attributes accounted for within-site variability in MVPA, corresponding to an SD of 3 min·d or 21 min·wk. Large between-site differences in PA outcomes were observed; 15.9%-16.8% of these differences were explained by perceived environmental attributes. All neighborhood attributes were associated with between-site differences in the total effects of the perceived environment on PA outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Residents' perceptions of neighborhood attributes that facilitate walking were positively associated with objectively measured MVPA and meeting the guidelines for cancer/weight gain prevention at the within- and between-site levels. Associations were similar across study sites, lending support for international recommendations for designing PA-friendly built environments.

• MeSH
• akcelerometrie MeSH
• charakteristiky bydlení * MeSH
• chůze MeSH
• cvičení fyziologie   MeSH
• doprava MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• pohybová aktivita * MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• socioekonomické faktory MeSH
• zdravé chování MeSH
• životní prostředí - projekt * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. MeSH