Joint associations of neighbourhood walkability and greenery with walking among middle-aged and older adults: Findings from diverse urban settings in Australia

Manoj Chandrabose; Nyssa Hadgraft; Neville Owen; Suzanne Mavoa; Takemi Sugiyama

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103334

Joint associations of neighbourhood walkability and greenery with walking among middle-aged and older adults: Findings from diverse urban settings in Australia

Health Place. 2024 Sep:89:103334. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103334. Epub 2024 Aug 5.

Authors

Manoj Chandrabose¹, Nyssa Hadgraft², Neville Owen³, Suzanne Mavoa⁴, Takemi Sugiyama⁵

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Environmental Public Health Branch, EPA Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Environmental Public Health Branch, EPA Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39106781
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103334

Abstract

There is evidence that neighbourhood walkability and greenery are associated with walking, but less is known about their joint associations. We investigated this using data from the AusDiab3 study (2011/12) with 3032 adults (mean age 60 years). Two-level logistic regression models were used with binary walking outcomes. There was an inverse relationship (r = -0.5) between walkability (a composite measure of residential, destinations and intersections densities) and greenery (the size of densely vegetated areas). However, both walkability and greenery were independently positively associated with odds of walking. Regarding joint associations, in low-walkability neighbourhoods, greenery was positively associated with walking. In high-walkability neighbourhoods, greenery was not associated with walking.

Keywords: Built environment; Green space; Physical activity; Public health; Urban design.

MeSH terms

Aged
Australia
Environment Design*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neighborhood Characteristics
Parks, Recreational / statistics & numerical data
Residence Characteristics*
Urban Population / statistics & numerical data
Walking* / statistics & numerical data