title: High neighborhood walkability mitigates declines in middle-to-older aged adults' walking for transport.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neighborhood walkability shows significant positive relationship with residents' walking for transport in cross-sectional studies. We examined prospective relationships of neighborhood walkability with the change in walking behaviors over 4 years among middle-to-older aged adults (50-65 years) residing in Adelaide, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A baseline survey was conducted during 2003-2004, and a follow-up survey during 2007-2008. Walking for transport and walking for recreation were assessed at both times among 504 adults aged 50-65 years living in objectively determined high- and low-walkable neighborhoods. Multilevel linear regression analyses examined the associations of neighborhood walkability with changes over 4 years in walking for transport and walking for recreation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On average, participants decreased their time spent in walking for transport (-4.1 min/day) and for recreation (-3.7 min/day) between the baseline and 4-year follow-up. However, those living in high-walkable neighborhoods showed significantly smaller reduction (adjusted mean change: -1.1 min/day) in their time spent in walking for transport than did those living in low-walkable neighborhoods (-6.7 min/day). No such statistically-significant differences were found with the changes in walking for recreation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-walkable neighborhoods may help middle-to-older aged adults to maintain their walking for transport.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Physical and Health Education, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimura
authors.forename: Takemi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Neville
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Owen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D013997:Time Factors; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods*; D016138:Walking