Associations of neighbourhood safety with leisure-time walking and cycling in population subgroups: The HELIUS study

Erik J Timmermans; Eleonore M Veldhuizen; Tomi Mäki-Opas; Marieke B Snijder; Jeroen Lakerveld; Anton E Kunst

doi:10.1016/j.sste.2019.100300

Associations of neighbourhood safety with leisure-time walking and cycling in population subgroups: The HELIUS study

Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol. 2019 Nov:31:100300. doi: 10.1016/j.sste.2019.100300. Epub 2019 Aug 7.

Authors

Erik J Timmermans¹, Eleonore M Veldhuizen², Tomi Mäki-Opas³, Marieke B Snijder⁴, Jeroen Lakerveld⁵, Anton E Kunst⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam UMC, VU University medical center, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: ej.timmermans@vumc.nl.
² Department of Geography, Planning & International Development Studies, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
³ Department of Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Department of Social Sciences, Kuopio, Finland.
⁴ Department of Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam UMC, VU University medical center, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Global Geo Health Data Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

PMID: 31677765
DOI: 10.1016/j.sste.2019.100300

Abstract

To create neighbourhood environments that encourage physical activity, it is important to know which neighbourhood characteristics are most influential. We examined the association of neighbourhood safety with leisure-time walking and cycling in the population at large, as well as in some subgroups in terms of sex, age, ethnicity and socio-economic position. We used data of 19,914 participants (18-70 years) from a study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Leisure-time walking and cycling in minutes/week were assessed with standard questionnaire. Geographic Information System techniques were used to examine neighbourhood safety (range = 1-10). Multilevel linear regression analyses showed positive associations between safety and walking (B = 7.9, 95% CI = -6.2-21.9) and cycling (B = 14.8, 95% CI = 2.5-27.1), but only the association with cycling was statistically significant. Higher safety levels were significantly associated with more cycling in women and individuals of Turkish and Moroccan origin. Stronger evidence is needed to inform policies to stimulate walking and cycling by improving neighbourhood safety.

Keywords: Cycling; GIS; Neighbourhood safety; Walking.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Bicycling*
Female
Humans
Leisure Activities*
Male
Middle Aged
Residence Characteristics*
Safety*
Walking*
Young Adult