The Relationship Between Built Environments and Physical Activity
A Systematic Review
Bibliographic Data
Objectives. We conducted a systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between built environments (e.g., parks, trails, sidewalks) and physical activity (PA) or obesity rates. Methods. We performed a 2-step inclusion protocol to identify empirical articles examining any form of built environment and any form of PA (or obesity rate) as the outcome. We extracted data from included abstracts for analysis by using a standard code sheet developed for this study. Results. Of 169 included articles, 89.2% reported beneficial relationships—but virtually all articles utilized simple observational study designs not suited for determining causality. Studies utilizing objective PA measures (e.g., pedometer) were 18% less likely to identify a beneficial relationship. Articles focusing on children in community settings (–14.2%), those examining direct measures of obesity (–6.2%), or those with an academic first author (–3.4%) were less likely to find a beneficial relationship. Conclusions. Policymakers at federal and local levels should encourage more rigorous scientific research to determine whether altered built environments will result in increased PA and decreased obesity rates
The Physical Activity and Redesigned Community Spaces (PARCS) Study
Park Density Impacts Weight Change in a Behavioral Intervention for Overweight Rural Youth
Do the Features, Amenities, and Quality of Physical Activity Resources Differ Between City and County Areas of a Large Rural Region
Built Environment, Selected Risk Factors and Major Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes
Obesogenic environments
Urban and transport planning, environmental exposures and health-new concepts, methods and tools to improve health in cities
A Systematic Review of Agreement Between Perceived and Objective Neighborhood Environment Measures and Associations With Physical Activity Outcomes
Theories of physical activity behaviour change
An ecosystem service perspective on urban nature, physical activity, and health
Green Infrastructure, Ecosystem Services, and Human Health
Nature and Health
Exploring the physical contexts of physical activity in children and adolescents across countries using GPS, GIS, and accelerometry – a systematic review
Study protocol
Walking Environment and Obesity
Association between Proximity of the Elementary School and Depression in Japanese Older Adults
Public Open Spaces and Leisure-Time Walking in Brazilian Adults
Geographical Variations in the Environmental Determinants of Physical Inactivity among U.S. Adults
The relationship between sports facility accessibility and physical activity among Korean adults
Protocol for a cross sectional study of cancer risk, environmental exposures and lifestyle behaviors in a diverse community sample
A Cross-Sectional Investigation of the Importance of Park Features for Promoting Regular Physical Activity in Parks
Outdoor Fitness Equipment Usage Behaviors in Natural Settings
Perceived and Objective Measures of Neighborhood Walkability and Physical Activity among Adults in Japan
The Independent Associations between Walk Score® and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, Waist Circumference, Waist-To-Hip Ratio and Body Mass Index Among Urban Adults
The Influence of Neighbourhoods and the Social Environment on Sedentary Behaviour in Older Adults in Three Prospective Cohorts
Lexical neutrality in environmental health research
Realtors’ Perceptions of Social and Physical Neighborhood Characteristics Associated with Active Living
Disaggregation of Green Space Access, Walkability, and Behavioral Risk Factor Data for Precise Estimation of Local Population Characteristics
Differences in environmental preferences towards cycling for transport among adults
Physical Activity Outcomes of a Culturally Tailored, Father-Focused, and Family-Centered Health Promotion Program for Mexican-Heritage Families
Active and Fit Communities. Associations between Neighborhood Walkability and Health-Related Fitness in Adults
Associations between Psychosocial Variables, Availability of Physical Activity Resources in Neighborhood Environment, and Out-of-School Physical Activity among Chinese Adolescents
Built environmental characteristics, physical activity, diet, and nutritional status in Accra, Ghana
Contributions of Multiple Built Environment Features to 10-Year Change in Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in a South Australian Middle-Aged Cohort
The Uncertain Geographic Context Problem in the Analysis of the Relationships between Obesity and the Built Environment in Guangzhou
The Health and economic effects of light rail lines
Longitudinal Associations between the Neighborhood Built Environment and Cognition in US Older Adults
The spinner model for flourishing through movement
Is high-rise development always beneficial to health
How Walkable Neighborhoods Promote Physical Activity
Analysis of Urban Built Environment Impacts on Outdoor Physical Activities—A Case Study in China
Global, regional, and national disease burden attributable to high body mass index in youth and young adults
Park access affects physical activity
Healthy cities, healthy students
Exploring how socioeconomic status affects neighbourhood environments’ effects on obesity risks
Association between street greenery and walking behavior in older adults in Hong Kong
Interactive impacts of walkability, social vulnerability, & travel behavior on Covid-19 mortality
An Investigation of Links between Environmentally Responsible Behaviors and Built and Natural Features of Landscape in Central New Jersey
The Influence of Street Microenvironment on the Walking Activities of Older Adults
Built environment and obesity by urbanicity in the U.S
Cross-sectional and prospective associations between active living environments and accelerometer-assessed physical activity in the Epic-Norfolk cohort
Built environmental correlates of cycling for transport across Europe
A call for caution and transparency in the calculation of land use mix
Virtual audits of streetscapes by crowdworkers
Public transit generates new physical activity
Changes in neighborhood environments and the increasing socioeconomic gap in child obesity risks
The impact of greenery on physical activity and mental health of adolescent and adult residents of deprived neighborhoods
Perceived neighborhood walkability and physical exercise
Associations between neighborhood built environment and cognition vary by apolipoprotein E genotype
Associations of built environmental characteristics and physical activity in neighbourhoods of Accra, Ghana
Improving planning analysis and decision making
Contextual factors and weight change over time
Evaluating Social Determinants of Health Domains and Their Predictive Validity Within Black/African American and White Older Adults From the Active Trial
Walking mediates associations between the neighborhood environment and flourishing
Living liveable? Reside's evaluation of the “Liveable Neighborhoods” planning policy on the health supportive behaviors and wellbeing of residents in Perth, Western Australia
Examining the relationship between neighbourhood satisfaction, physical activity, and well-being in 11 cities in the Global South during the Covid-19 pandemic
Does shadow matter? Exploring the influence of shade provision on cycling activity from the perspective of urban climate resilience
Access to parks and recreational facilities, physical activity, and health care costs for older adults
Implications of supermarket access, neighbourhood walkability and poverty rates for diabetes risk in an employee population
Rural Latino health and the built environment
Methodologies for assessing contextual exposure to the built environment in physical activity studies
A systematic review of the evolution of GPS use in active living research
A scoping review of simulation modeling in built environment and physical activity research
Association of proximity and density of parks and objectively measured physical activity in the United States
The impact of interventions to promote physical activity in urban green space
Health differences in an unequal city
Four urban health paradigms
Who Goes to Metropolitan Parks? A Latent Class Analysis Approach to Understanding Park Visitation
Transit Use, Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index Changes
Exploring the mediating roles of physical activity and television time on the relationship between the neighbourhood environment and childhood obesity
Vital places
Urban environment interventions linked to the promotion of physical activity
Associations of Park Use with Physical Activity in Renovated Parks Serving Low-Income Communities in New York City
The Role of Built Environments in Physical Activity, Eating, and Obesity in Childhood
Exploring the effect of the environment on physical activity
Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity in a Sample of Belgian Adults
Built Environments and Obesity in Disadvantaged Populations
Walkability and Body Mass Index
Measuring the Built Environment for Physical Activity
Neighborhood Safety and Overweight Status in Children
The Built Environment and Obesity
Active Commuting to School
Community Design and Access to Recreational Facilities as Correlates of Adolescent Physical Activity and Body-Mass Index
Inequality in the Built Environment Underlies Key Health Disparities in Physical Activity and Obesity
The effects of neighborhood density and street connectivity on walking behavior
Actual Causes of Death in the United States
A systematic review of built environment factors related to physical activity and obesity risk
Characterizing the obesogenic environment
The Obesity Epidemic in the United States Gender, Age, Socioeconomic, Racial/Ethnic, and Geographic Characteristics
Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008
Neighborhood playgrounds, fast food restaurants, and crime
Environmental correlates of physical activity in youth – a review and update
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among US Children, Adolescents, and Adults, 1999-2002
An Ecological Approach to Creating Active Living Communities
Built Environment and Psychosocial Factors Associated With Trail Proximity and Use
The built environment and obesity
The sociodemographics of land use planning
Examination of perceived neighborhood characteristics and transportation on changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior
Got green? addressing environmental justice in park provision
From neighborhood design and food options to residents’ weight status
Safe Play Spaces To Promote Physical Activity in Inner-City Children
The Impact of the Built Environment on Health
Arenas, Arena Architecture and the Impact on Location Desirability
| Unique citing works | 82 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6,31 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 82 |