Relation of Adolescents' Physical Activity to After-School Recreation Environment.

Background: The after-school period provides an opportune context for adolescent physical activity. This study examined how characteristics of after-school recreation environments related to adolescent physical activity.

Methods: Participants were 889 adolescents aged 12 to 17 (mean = 14.

Physical Activity in Older Adults: an Ecological Approach.

Background: Studies identifying correlates of physical activity (PA) at all levels of the ecological model can provide an empirical basis for designing interventions to increase older adults' PA.

Purpose: Applying ecological model principles, this study concurrently examined individual, psychosocial, and environmental correlates of older adults' PA to determine whether built environment factors contribute to PA over and above individual/demographic and psychosocial variables.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional observational design, 726 adults, aged ≥66 years, were recruited from two US regions.

Disparities in Pedestrian Streetscape Environments by Income and Race/Ethnicity.

Growing evidence suggests that microscale pedestrian environment features, such as sidewalk quality, crosswalks, and neighborhood aesthetics, may affect residents' physical activity. This study examined whether disparities in microscale pedestrian features existed between neighborhoods of differing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic composition. Using the validated Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS), pedestrian environment features were assessed by trained observers along ¼-mile routes (N = 2117) in neighborhoods in three US metropolitan regions (San Diego, Seattle, and Baltimore) during 2009 to 2010.

Co-benefits of designing communities for active living: an exploration of literature.

To reverse the global epidemic of physical inactivity that is responsible for more than 5 million deaths per year, many groups recommend creating "activity-friendly environments." Such environments may have other benefits, beyond facilitating physical activity, but these potential co-benefits have not been well described. The purpose of the present paper is to explore a wide range of literature and conduct an initial summary of evidence on co-benefits of activity-friendly environments.