Built environment and physical activity in adolescents: Use of the kernel density estimation and the walkability index

Isabella Toledo Caetano; Rogério César Fermino; Renato de Oliveira Falcão; Paulo Roberto Dos Santos Amorim

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0299628

Built environment and physical activity in adolescents: Use of the kernel density estimation and the walkability index

PLoS One. 2024 Mar 19;19(3):e0299628. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299628. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Isabella Toledo Caetano¹, Rogério César Fermino^{2

3}, Renato de Oliveira Falcão⁴, Paulo Roberto Dos Santos Amorim¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
² Postgraduate Program of Physical Education, Federal University of Technology Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
³ Postgraduate Program of Physical Education, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Economy, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Abstract

The availability of places for physical activity (PA) and the walkability of the neighborhood can impact the level of PA of adolescents. However, studies of this nature are still limited in Latin America. This study had two objectives: 1- using kernel density estimative, it investigated whether individuals living near PA places that are more intensely distributed than dispersed are more likely to be sufficiently active; 2-checked whether adolescents who live in neighborhoods with better walkability have a greater chance of being sufficiently active. Were evaluated 292 adolescents and PA was measured by accelerometry. Were measured five environmental variables for composing the walkability index. 98 PA points (places) were identified and destinations within these areas were geocoded and kernel density estimates (KDE) of places intensity were created using kernels (radius) of 400m (meters), 800, 1200 and 1600m. Using Logistic Regression, the association between the intensity of PA places (classified into quartiles Q1(smallest)-Q4(largest)) and the probability of being "Sufficient PA"; and the association between walkability (quartiles Q1(least)-Q4(highest)) and the probability of being "PA Sufficient " were estimated (p≤0.05). There were associations only for the intensities of places with the largest radius. Among adolescents who lived in places with higher intensity compared with lower intensity places: 1200m (Q3, OR 2.18 95% CI 1.12-4.22; Q4, OR 2.77 95% CI 1.41-5.43) and 1600m (Q3, OR 3.68 95%CI 1.86-7.30; Q4, OR 3.69 95%CI 1.86-7.30) were more likely to be "Sufficient PA". There were also associations for walkability, where those living in places with better walkability (Q4, OR 2.58 95% CI 1.33-5.02) had greater chances of being "Sufficient PA" compared to Q1. In conclusion, living in places with bigger densities and better walkability increases adolescent's chances of being "Sufficient PA".

Copyright: © 2024 Caetano et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Built Environment
Cross-Sectional Studies
Environment Design
Exercise
Humans
Motor Activity*
Residence Characteristics
Spatial Analysis
Walking*

Grants and funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenac¸ão de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brazil (CAPES) – PNPD – CAPES. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.