title: Associations between physical activity and the neighbourhood social environment: baseline results from the HABITAT multilevel study.
abstract: Limitations have arisen when measuring associations between the neighbourhood social environment and physical activity, including same-source bias, and the reliability of aggregated neighbourhood-level social environment measures. This study examines cross-sectional associations between the neighbourhood social environment (perceptions of incivilities, crime, and social cohesion) and self-reported physical activity, while accounting for same-source bias and reliability of neighbourhood-level exposure measures, using data from a large population-based clustered sample. This investigation included 11,035 residents aged 40-65years from 200 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia, in 2007. Respondents self-reported their physical activity and perceptions of the social environment (neighbourhood incivilities, crime and safety, and social cohesion). Models were adjusted for individual-level education, occupation, and household income, and neighbourhood disadvantage. Exposure measures were generated via split clusters and an empirical Bayes estimation procedure. Data were analysed in 2016 using multilevel multinomial logistic regression. Residents of neighbourhoods with the highest incivilities and crime, and lowest social cohesion were reference categories. Individuals were more likely to be in the higher physical activity categories if they were in neighbourhoods with the lowest incivilities and the lowest crime. No associations were found between social cohesion and physical activity. This study provides a basis from which to gain a clearer understanding of the relationship between the neighbourhood social environment and individual physical activity. Further work is required to explore the pathways between perceptions of the neighbourhood social environment and physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Australia; School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Social Work and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Electronic address: jerome.rachele@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jerome N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Rachele
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Australia; School of Public Health and Social Work and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Electronic address: fatima.ghanigonzalo@myacu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghani
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Australia; School of Public Health and Social Work and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Electronic address: venurshuiyee.loh@myacu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Venurs H Y
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Exercise, Physical Activity and Health and School of Human Movement and Nutrition Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: w.brown@hms.uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Wendy J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Australia; School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Social Work and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Electronic address: gavin.turrell@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turrell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012449:Safety; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016138:Walking