Associations between Neighborhood Walkability, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease in Nova Scotian Adults: An Atlantic PATH Cohort Study

Keats, Melanie R.; Cui, Yunsong; DeClercq, Vanessa; Grandy, Scott A.; Sweeney, Ellen; Dummer, Trevor J. B.

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228643

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Associations between Neighborhood Walkability, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease in Nova Scotian Adults: An Atlantic PATH Cohort Study

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Faculty of Health, School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada

Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada

School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(22), 8643; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228643

Received: 29 October 2020 / Revised: 13 November 2020 / Accepted: 16 November 2020 / Published: 20 November 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space, Place and Health Outcomes)

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Abstract

Background: While neighborhood walkability has been shown to positively influence health behaviors, less is known about its impact on chronic disease. Our aim was to examine the association between walkability and self-reported physical activity in relation to chronic health conditions in an Atlantic Canadian population. Methods: Using data from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health, a prospective cohort study, we employed both a cross-sectional and a prospective analytical approach to investigate associations of walkability and physical activity with five prevalent chronic diseases and multimorbidity. Results: The cross-sectional data show that participants with the lowest neighborhood walkability were more likely to have reported a pre-existing history of cancer and depression and least likely to report chronic respiratory conditions. Participants with low physical activity were more likely to have a pre-existing history of diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and multimorbidity. Follow-up analyses showed no significant associations between walkability and chronic disease incidence. Low levels of physical activity were significantly associated with diabetes, cancer and multimorbidity. Conclusions: Our data provides evidence for the health protective benefits of higher levels of physical activity, and a reduction in prevalence of some chronic diseases in more walkable communities. View Full-Text

Keywords: neighborhood walkability; physical activity; chronic disease; cohort study

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Keats, M.R.; Cui, Y.; DeClercq, V.; Grandy, S.A.; Sweeney, E.; Dummer, T.J.B. Associations between Neighborhood Walkability, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease in Nova Scotian Adults: An Atlantic PATH Cohort Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 8643. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228643

AMA Style

Keats MR, Cui Y, DeClercq V, Grandy SA, Sweeney E, Dummer TJB. Associations between Neighborhood Walkability, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease in Nova Scotian Adults: An Atlantic PATH Cohort Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(22):8643. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228643

Chicago/Turabian Style

Keats, Melanie R., Yunsong Cui, Vanessa DeClercq, Scott A. Grandy, Ellen Sweeney, and Trevor J.B. Dummer. 2020. "Associations between Neighborhood Walkability, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease in Nova Scotian Adults: An Atlantic PATH Cohort Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 22: 8643. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228643

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