title: Associations of adult physical activity with perceived safety and police-recorded crime: the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Due to the inconsistent findings of prior studies, we explored the association of perceived safety and police-recorded crime measures with physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 818 Chicago participants of the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis 45 to 84 years of age. Questionnaire-assessed physical activity included a) transport walking; b) leisure walking; and c) non-walking leisure activities. Perceived safety was assessed through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Police-recorded crime was assessed through 2-year counts of selected crimes (total and outdoor incivilities, criminal offenses, homicides) per 1000 population. Associations were examined using generalized estimating equation logistic regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Perceiving a safer neighborhood was positively associated with transport walking and perceiving lower violence was associated with leisure walking. Those in the lowest tertile of total or outdoor incivilities were more likely to report transport walking. Models with both perceived safety and police-recorded measures of crime as independent variables had superior fit for both transport walking and leisure walking outcomes. Neither perceived safety nor police-recorded measures of crime were associated with non-walking leisure activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceived and police-recorded measures had independent associations with walking and both should be considered in assessing the impact of neighborhood crime on physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, 137 East Franklin Street, Suite 306, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA. kelly_evenson@unc.edu
authors.forename: Kelly R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Evenson
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: Ana V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Diez Roux
authors.forename: Aileen P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: McGinn
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002641:Chicago; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004779:Environment Design; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D016495:Police; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012449:Safety / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*