Perceived environmental correlates and physical activity: what neighborhood aspects really matter for mothers and fathers of young children?
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Author(s)
Hamilton, Kyra
Cuddihy, Tom
White, Katherine M
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2013
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Limited research has been conducted with at-risk populations in examining perceived environmental correlates of physical activity (PA); thus, we examined this relationship among parents with young children, a group at risk for physical inactivity. Parents (252 mothers, 206 fathers) completed a questionnaire assessing measures of perceived neighbourhood environment and a 1-week follow-up of PA behaviour. Mothers were more likely than fathers to perceive their neighbourhood as unsafe to go for walks at night and less likely to perceive transit stops within 10-15 minutes walking distance, sidewalks on most streets, and facilities ...
View more >Limited research has been conducted with at-risk populations in examining perceived environmental correlates of physical activity (PA); thus, we examined this relationship among parents with young children, a group at risk for physical inactivity. Parents (252 mothers, 206 fathers) completed a questionnaire assessing measures of perceived neighbourhood environment and a 1-week follow-up of PA behaviour. Mothers were more likely than fathers to perceive their neighbourhood as unsafe to go for walks at night and less likely to perceive transit stops within 10-15 minutes walking distance, sidewalks on most streets, and facilities to bicycle. Adjusting for demographics, shops within easy walking distance, sidewalks on most streets, and having no more than one motor vehicle were associated with being active for both sexes. Access to transit stops and free/low cost recreational facilities were also associated with mothers' PA. These findings suggest that environmental factors may support parents being active at recommended levels.
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View more >Limited research has been conducted with at-risk populations in examining perceived environmental correlates of physical activity (PA); thus, we examined this relationship among parents with young children, a group at risk for physical inactivity. Parents (252 mothers, 206 fathers) completed a questionnaire assessing measures of perceived neighbourhood environment and a 1-week follow-up of PA behaviour. Mothers were more likely than fathers to perceive their neighbourhood as unsafe to go for walks at night and less likely to perceive transit stops within 10-15 minutes walking distance, sidewalks on most streets, and facilities to bicycle. Adjusting for demographics, shops within easy walking distance, sidewalks on most streets, and having no more than one motor vehicle were associated with being active for both sexes. Access to transit stops and free/low cost recreational facilities were also associated with mothers' PA. These findings suggest that environmental factors may support parents being active at recommended levels.
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Journal Title
Journal of Community Psychology
Volume
41
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Perceived environmental correlates and physical activity: what neighborhood aspects really matter for mothers and fathers of young children?, Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 41 (6), 2013, pp.679-691, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21564.
Subject
Sport and exercise psychology