Residential vs school neighborhoods: Associations with physical activity among adolescents

Individual and day-to-day differences in domain-specific physical activity of 10- to 11-year-old children in Denmark-Measured using GPS and accelerometry

OBJECTIVE

Physical activity (PA) and the achievement of 60 min of moderate-to-physical-activity daily is declining in school-aged-children, and effective strategies to increase PA is needed. We aimed to examine the individual and day-to-day distribution of PA on schooldays among children aged 10-11 in 4 domains-school, home, transport, and other.

METHODS

Data were collected from August to September 2020 using accelerometer and GPS data to measure daily PA-levels and to locate in which domain PA occurs. Daily PA-levels were assessed in each domain, and analyses of the individual and day-to-day differences in PA-levels were calculated.

RESULTS

The school domain contributed the most to children's daily MVPA with 47% of average MVPA, followed by the home domain with 26% of daily average MVPA, the other domain with 19% of daily average MVPA and the transport domain with 8% of daily average MVPA. Our results showed individual differences in where PA occurs, day-to-day differences in total MVPA and day-to-day differences in the MVPA-levels across domains.

CONCLUSIONS

The school domain contributed the most to children's MVPA-levels followed by the domains of home, other, and transport. Our study indicated that PA-levels and the distribution of PA across domains differ from day-to-day. Future interventions should target more than one domain to accommodate these individual- and day-to-day differences in the goal of increasing PA-levels and to reduce the decline in PA seen from childhood to adolescence.

Association of built environment constructs and physical activity among children and adolescents in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to synthesize the association between built environment constructs and physical activity among children and adolescents in Africa.

INTRODUCTION

Previous reviews have found that several built environment constructs, such as residential density, crime safety, and availability of physical activity facilities and infrastructure, are associated with physical activity in children and adolescents; however, these reviews have tended to focus on non-African countries. Therefore, this systematic review synthesized the association between the built environment and physical activity among children and adolescents in Africa.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This systematic review included comparative observational studies that assessed the relationship between built environmental constructs and physical activity among children and adolescents (between the ages of 5 and 19 years) in Africa.

METHODS

Comprehensive electronic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, EThOS, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses from inception to October 22, 2021, were conducted to identify relevant published and unpublished studies. Two reviewers independently screened papers, assessed the quality of the included studies using the JBI standard critical appraisal tool, and extracted data using a pre-piloted form. Where possible, data were synthesized using random effects meta-analyses, with effect sizes reported as mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) was used to assess the certainty of the findings.

RESULTS

Of the 10,706 identified records, six cross-sectional studies were included, which comprised 4628 children and adolescents. Three of the studies had a high-quality score of 7 or 8 out of 8. Seven built environment constructs were reported within the included studies, namely, residential density, street connectivity, crime safety, availability of physical activity facilities and infrastructure, walkability, esthetics, and traffic safety. Three of the constructs were assessed with objective measures. Results from individual studies found significant associations between physical activity and objective measure of traffic safety (MD 2.63 minutes per day; 95% CI 0.16 to 5.1; one study) and an objective measure of crime safety (MD 2.72 minutes per day; 95% CI 0.07 to 5.37; one study). No significant associations were found between active transportation and any of the built environment constructs. The GRADE evidence for all of the assessed constructs was either low (the built environment constructs may lead to little or no difference in physical activity or active transportation) or very low (it was uncertain whether the built environment constructs affect physical activity).

CONCLUSION

In African settings, the evidence base for the association between built environment constructs and physical activity is limited, with no consistent evidence of an association. Therefore, further high-quality studies should be conducted before firm conclusions can be drawn.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42019133324.

Association Between Natural/Built Campus Environment and Depression Among Chinese Undergraduates: Multiscale Evidence for the Moderating Role of Socioeconomic Factors After Controlling for Residential Self-Selection

Aim

Evidence on the association between natural-built environments and depression is largely derived from the general population and prone to residential self-selection bias because of the nature of cross-sectional research design. Despite emerging adulthood, which includes the university years, is a critical stage for forming life-long health habits, studies on this topic focusing on undergraduate students are limited. The current study aims to illustrate the underlying mechanisms for how the campus-based environments affect depression in undergraduate students.

Methods

Based on a nationwide representative analytical sample of 22,009 Chinese undergraduates in 2018, we examined participants' reports of depression and campus-centered natural/built environments within multiple buffer sizes including 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 km. After disentangling residential self-selection, we explored the moderating role of the socioeconomic attributes of undergraduates. The depression outcome was measured by the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9). Indicators of exposure to green and blue space, transportation infrastructure, and food environments were objectively assessed using different circular buffers around each campus address.

Results

Modeling results indicated that campus neighborhoods with more scattered trees (0.5 km), water (0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 km), and street intersections (1.0 and 2.5 km) were protective against depression. In contrast, those living near denser distributions of outlets serving take-away sweets and fast food (0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 km) were susceptible to depression. These associations were modified by undergraduates' socioeconomic attributes (e.g., grade, Hukou status, and ethnicity) and varied according to geographical scales and exposure metrics.

Conclusion

To deliver effective environmental interventions to curb the prevalence of depression among undergraduate students, further planning policies should focus on the careful conception of the campus-based environment, especially regarding different spatial scales.

Associations between Psychosocial Variables, Availability of Physical Activity Resources in Neighborhood Environment, and Out-of-School Physical Activity among Chinese Adolescents

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between psychosocial variables (peer support, parental support, autonomous motivation, and controlled motivation), availability of physical activity resources in a neighborhood environment, and out-of-school moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among Chinese adolescents. The questionnaire of Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study was used to collect information on demographics, socioeconomic status, psychosocial variables, available physical activity resources in the neighborhood environment, and minutes of out-of-school MVPA. ANOVA analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed. The mean age of the 3833 adolescents included in our analysis was 14.7 years old (SD = 1.7). Peer support (b = 9.35, 95% CI: 7.55–11.15), autonomous motivation (b = 6.46, 95% CI: 4.09–8.82), parental support (b = 3.90, 95% CI: 1.75–6.07), and availability of physical activity resources in neighborhood environment (b = 3.18, 95% CI: 1.99–4.36) were significantly associated with out-of-school MVPA (p < 0.05). Controlled motivation was insignificantly related to minutes of out-of-school MVPA. Boys spent more time on out-of-school MVPA than girls (p < 0.001) and had a high level of peer support, parental support, and motivation (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that interventions targeting the out-of-school MVPA among Chinese adolescents should focus on the psychosocial variables and neighborhood environment.

The school policy, social, and physical environment and change in adolescent physical activity: An exploratory analysis using the LASSO

PURPOSE

We examined the association between the school policy, social and physical environment and change in adolescent physical activity (PA) and explored how sex and socioeconomic status modified potential associations.

METHODS

Data from the GoActive study were used for these analyses. Participants were adolescents (n = 1765, mean age±SD 13.2±0.4y) from the East of England, UK. Change in longitudinal accelerometer assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was the outcome. School policy, social and physical environment features (n = 267) were exposures. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator variable selection method (LASSO) was used to determine exposures most relevant to the outcome. Exposures selected by the LASSO were added to a multiple linear regression model with estimates of change in min/day of MVPA per 1-unit change in each exposure reported. Post-hoc analyses, exploring associations between change in variables selected by the LASSO and change in MVPA, were undertaken to further explain findings.

FINDINGS

No school policy or physical environment features were selected by the LASSO as predictors of change in MVPA. The LASSO selected two school social environment variables (participants asking a friend to do physical activity; friend asking a participant to do physical activity) as potential predictors of change in MVPA but no significant associations were found in subsequent linear regression models for all participants (β [95%CI] -1.01 [-2.73;0.71] and 0.65 [-2.17;0.87] min/day respectively). In the post-hoc analyses, for every unit increase in change in participants asking a friend to do PA and change in a friend asking participants to do PA, an increase in MVPA of 2.78 (1.55;4.02) and 1.80 (0.48;3.11) min/day was predicted respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The school social environment is associated with PA during adolescence. Further exploration of how friendships during adolescence may be leveraged to support effective PA promotion in schools is warranted.