Association between neighbourhood green space and sedentary leisure time in a Danish population.
OBJECTIVE
Sedentary behaviour is a risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease etc., independently of level of physical activity. Availability of recreational green space is associated with physical activity, but is unknown in relation to sedentary behaviour. The aim of this study is to examine the association between availability of green space and sedentary leisure time in a Danish population.


METHODS
The study was based on a random sample of 49,806 adults aged 16 + who answered a questionnaire in 2010, including sedentary leisure time. Objective measures of density green were calculated for each respondent using Geographical Information System (GIS). A multilevel regression analysis, taking neighbourhood and individual factors into account, was performed.


RESULTS
65% of the respondents were sedentary in leisure time for more than 3h/day. We found that poor availability of forest and recreational facilities in the neighbourhood is associated with more sedentary leisure time; OR: 1.11 (95% CL: 1.04-1.19), after adjusting for individual, and neighbourhood, level characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
Among adult inhabitants, sedentary leisure time of more than 3h/day was more frequent in neighbourhoods with less green surroundings. Intervention efforts may benefit from emphasising the importance of having recreations options in residential areas to provide alternatives to sedentary activities.
1Research Centre for Prevention and Health, The Capital Region of Denmark, Glostrup, Denmark.
Rikke Lynge
RL
Storgaard
Henning Sten
HS
Hansen
Mette
M
Aadahl
Charlotte
C
Glümer
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D004779:Environment Design / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
Behavioral epidemiology; Geographical Information System (GIS); green space; multilevel regression; sedentary behavior