Perceived and Objective Measures of Neighborhood Walkability and Physical Activity among Adults in Japan: A Multilevel Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 12; no. 10; pp. 13350 - 13364
• Main Authors: Hanibuchi, Tomoya, Nakaya, Tomoki, Yonejima, Mayuko, Honjo, Kaori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.10.2015; MDPI
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cities; Cross-Sectional Studies; Environment Design; Exercise; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Geographic Information Systems; Humans; Japan; Leisure Activities; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Motor Activity; Multilevel Analysis; Neighborhoods; Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data; Social Environment; Surveys and Questionnaires; Walking; Young Adult; Japan; INW, Japan; multilevel analysis; geographic information systems; neighborhoods; Japan; physical activity
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph121013350

Although associations between a person's neighborhood and their health have been studied internationally, most studies have been limited to a few cities or towns. Therefore, we used a nationally representative sample to explore whether perceived and objective neighborhood walkability was associated with the physical activity of residents. Data were analyzed from the Japanese General Social Surveys of 2010 (n = 2395; 1114 men and 1281 women). Perceived walkability was scored using factor analysis for the respondents' perceptions of neighborhood conditions, while objective walkability was measured using the geographic information system approach. Finally, multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to examine whether neighborhood walkability was associated with the frequency of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among respondents. We found that perceived walkability was positively associated with the frequency of LTPA (odds ratio of the highest quartile was 1.53 (1.14-2.05) compared with the lowest quartile); however, objective walkability showed no association. When stratified by gender, an association between perceived walkability and LTPA was observed among women, but only a marginally significant association was present between objective walkability and LTPA among men. We conclude that the association between neighborhood walkability and LTPA can be partially generalized across Japan.