Built environment, daily physical activity patterns and obesity in different contexts, evidence from Shanghai

Keywords: Built environment, Daily PA pattern, Obesity, Urbanicity, Shanghai
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Recent research found the relationship between built environments on obesity vary across urbanicity. Some suggest that physical activities (PA) serve as an important explanatory factor in the varied built environment and obesity relationship.
In other words, the linkage of built environment factors to PA and eventually people’s weight status may also vary regarding different contexts (e.g. urban and suburban), which has been limited explored. In addition, traditional studies often only focus on leisure PA or transportation PA, while other daily PA that promotes people’s activity level should also be considered for their protective effect on weight maintenance. In order to address the research gaps, this study intends to capture residents’ activities from a perspective of activity space, a powerful tool to represent daily PA patterns, and investigate the relationship between neighborhood built environment, daily PA patterns and obesity in urban and suburban contexts. Data are derived from a household survey collected in Shanghai in 2018. We will jointly examine the duration and frequency of PA embedded in residents’ daily activities (including active transportation, semi-active transportation, leisure, and household PA), and compare their associations to weight status in urban and suburban areas to detect the contribution of urbanicity in relation to obesity risks. Findings of this research are relevant for promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing obesity through urban planning and policy interventions by stressing the difference of PA patterns and their relationships to weight status in urban and suburban areas.