Availability of physical activity-related facilities and neighborhood demographic and socioeconomic characteristics: a national study.
OBJECTIVE
We examined associations between neighborhood demographic characteristics and the availability of commercial physical activity-related outlets by zip code across the United States.


METHODS
Multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the availability of 4 types of outlets: (1) physical fitness facilities, (2) membership sports and recreation clubs, (3) dance facilities, and (4) public golf courses. Commercial outlet data were linked by zip code to US Census Bureau population and socioeconomic data.


RESULTS
Results showed that commercial physical activity-related facilities were less likely to be present in lower-income neighborhoods and in neighborhoods with higher proportions of African American residents, residents with His-panic ethnicity, and residents of other racial minority backgrounds. In addition, these neighborhoods had fewer such facilities available.


CONCLUSIONS
Lack of availability of facilities that enable and promote physical activity may, in part, underpin the lower levels of activity observed among populations of low socioeconomic status and minority backgrounds.
Powell
Lisa M
LM
Department of Economics and the Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois, Chicago 60608, USA. powelll@uic.edu
Slater
Sandy
S
Chaloupka
Frank J
FJ
Harper
Deborah
D
D001741:Black or African American; D003132:Commerce; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D020446:Fitness Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010809:Physical Fitness; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States