“Cycling and walking are two excellent ways to weave exercise into daily life and meet those fitness goals outlined in many New Year’s resolutions,” says Lear, who was part of an international team whose research, published in Cities, spanned 21 countries. “We sought to understand how factors in the built environment can either promote or discourage a person from engaging in these forms of physical activity.”
Study participants were between the ages of 35-70 living in more than 350 urban communities from low, middle, and high-income countries as classified by the World Bank.
“Levels of physical inactivity are rising globally and in high-income countries such as Canada, over 70 percent of adults are physically inactive,” says Lear. “One in four adults do not meet the globally recommended activity level of at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and this trend has negative consequences for our health.”
Four high-income countries were studied — Canada, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates — while four low-income countries included Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. There were also five lower-middle-income countries — China, Colombia, Iran, Palestine, and Kyrgyzstan — and eight upper-middle-income countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey.
The team observed a greater likelihood of cycling with high levels of land use mix and aesthetics.
Researchers suggest that future studies should further examine local contextual factors that may modify how the built environment is associated with walking and cycling behaviors.
