Physical Activity and the Built Environment

Introduction

The environment is integral to encouraging physical activity. The built environment is an aspect of the environment that is increasingly receiving research attention. Recommended levels of physical activity can be achieved by including activities such as walking, cycling as part of everyday life. This can be encouraged with a supportive built environment. Public health advocates can help shape the design of cities and suburbs in ways to encourage physical activity. The emphasis on the role of built environment is necessary as encouraging people to be more physically active in an environment that is not supportive is less likely to be effective. The built environment is defined as the part of the physical environment that is constructed by human activity. It includes homes, schools, workplaces, parks or recreation areas, green-ways, business areas and transportation systems. In public health, a built environment refers to physical environments that are designed with health and wellness as integral parts of communities. This includes open spaces, footpaths, cycle lanes, parks, trails.

Features of built environment

Built environment features that are hypothesized to be associated with recreational activity have been divided into four categories;

1. Recreational resources include walking trails, biking trails, parks and open spaces

2. Land use characteristics include residential and employment density, land use mix (types of buildings, services and businesses in the community), street connectivity(grid pattern, cul-de-sac and loop holes) and proximity of destinations(shops, employment and services) to residences.

3. Neighborhood form characteristics include availability of sidewalks and street light.

4. Community environment include mostly contextual features of the environment such as aesthetics, cleanliness, traffic, crime safety or community support or cohesion.

Features of the built environment that has been found to correlate with physical activity levels include mixed land use, population density, street connectivity, and physical infrastructure including footpaths (9 art 3). These features have the potential to influence both recreational and travel related physical activity. For instance, certain features of the neighborhood environment- sidewalks, streetlights, and terrain might make recreational activity more appealing. Meanwhile, other characteristics such as residential density proximity to destinations and grid like street patterns might make it easier or more pleasant to walk or bicycle for transportation.