title: Characteristics of the built environment in relation to objectively measured physical activity among Mexican adults, 2011.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The built environment correlates of physical activity are documented in high-income countries but have yet to be studied among Mexican adults. Our objectives were to assess the associations between characteristics of the built environment and physical activity among adults in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and to examine potential moderation by perceived park and neighborhood safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a population-based study of adults in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 2011 (N = 677). Participants wore Actigraph GT3X accelerometers for 7 days. We used geographic information systems (GIS) to generate 500-m- and 1-km-buffer-based measures of net residential density, proportion of commercial land use, land-use mix, connectivity, walkability, and number of parks and transit routes. We also obtained data on distance to the nearest park with GIS. Perceived neighborhood and park safety were self-reported. We created quartile-based categories for all built environment characteristics and ran linear regression models to estimate the association between each characteristic and total weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and MVPA within 10-minute bouts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Walkability was inversely related to total weekly minutes of MVPA (1-km buffer, -46.9 [standard error, 20.0]; P = .03) and weekly minutes of MVPA within bouts (500-m buffer, -31.5 [12.9]; P = .02). The number of transit routes in the 500-m buffer was inversely related to total weekly minutes of MVPA (-23.8 [10.6]; P = .04). Perception of park safety moderated the association between physical activity and having a park intersect the 500-m buffer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings contrast with those from high-income countries, suggesting that environmental programs and policies to increase physical activity in Mexican cities cannot be adapted from high-income countries without considering the local context.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health of Mexico, Av. Universidad 655, Col. Sta. Maria Ahuacatitlan, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, CP 62100. E-mail: deborah.salvo@insp.mx. Dr Salvo is also affiliated with the Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. At the time of the research, she was a doctoral student at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salvo
authors.affiliation: Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana, Curitiba, Brazil, and Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Areyh D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Reynaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martorell
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pratt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004779:Environment Design; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D011998:Recreation; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012449:Safety; D057566:Self Report; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult