The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children

An estimated 32% of American children are overweight, and physical inactivity contributes to this high prevalence of overweight. This policy statement highlights how the built environment of a community affects children's opportunities for physical activity. Neighborhoods and communities can provide opportunities for recreational physical activity with parks and open spaces, and policies must support this capacity. Children can engage in physical activity as a part of their daily lives, such as on their travel to school. Factors such as school location have played a significant role in the decreased rates of walking to school, and changes in policy may help to increase the number of children who are able to walk to school. Environment modification that addresses risks associated with automobile traffic is likely to be conducive to more walking and biking among children. Actions that reduce parental perception and fear of crime may promote outdoor physical activity. Policies that promote more active lifestyles among children and adolescents will enable them to achieve the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. By working with community partners, pediatricians can participate in establishing communities designed for activity and health.

[1]  B. Popkin,et al.  Inequality in the Built Environment Underlies Key Health Disparities in Physical Activity and Obesity , 2006, Pediatrics.

[2]  Reid Ewing,et al.  Travel and the Built Environment: A Synthesis , 2001 .

[3]  J. Sallis,et al.  Violent crime and outdoor physical activity among inner-city youth. , 2004, Preventive medicine.

[4]  J. Wolch,et al.  Parks and Park Funding in Los Angeles: An Equity-Mapping Analysis , 2005 .

[5]  J. Gerberding,et al.  Barriers to children walking and biking to school--United States, 1999. , 2002, MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report.

[6]  J. Donnelly,et al.  Active commuting to and from school and BMI in elementary school children-preliminary data. , 2005, Child: care, health and development.

[7]  L. Goldman,et al.  Technical report: mercury in the environment: implications for pediatricians. , 2001, Pediatrics.

[8]  N. Sherwood,et al.  Physical activity among African-American girls: the role of parents and the home environment. , 2004, Obesity research.

[9]  T. Mijanovich,et al.  Which “broken windows” matter? school, neighborhood, and family characteristics associated with youths’ feelings of unsafety , 2003, Journal of Urban Health.

[10]  L. Epstein,et al.  Association of access to parks and recreational facilities with the physical activity of young children. , 2006, Preventive medicine.

[11]  T. Baranowski,et al.  Observations on physical activity in physical locations: age, gender, ethnicity, and month effects. , 1993, Research quarterly for exercise and sport.

[12]  K. Berhane,et al.  Asthma in exercising children exposed to ozone: a cohort study , 2002, The Lancet.

[13]  D. Bernstein,et al.  Is it traffic type, volume, or distance? Wheezing in infants living near truck and bus traffic. , 2005, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[14]  Katherine M Flegal,et al.  High body mass index for age among US children and adolescents, 2003-2006. , 2008, JAMA.

[15]  Anne T McCartt,et al.  A review of evidence-based traffic engineering measures designed to reduce pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes. , 2003, American journal of public health.

[16]  J. Sallis,et al.  Linking objectively measured physical activity with objectively measured urban form: findings from SMARTRAQ. , 2005, American journal of preventive medicine.

[17]  George D Thurston,et al.  The role of air pollution in asthma and other pediatric morbidities. , 2005, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[18]  S. Trost,et al.  Physical activity and determinants of physical activity in obese and non-obese children , 2001, International Journal of Obesity.

[19]  T. Farley,et al.  Safe play spaces to promote physical activity in inner-city children: results from a pilot study of an environmental intervention. , 2007, American journal of public health.

[20]  Mariela Alfonzo,et al.  Evaluation of the California Safe Routes to School legislation: urban form changes and children's active transportation to school. , 2005, American journal of preventive medicine.

[21]  Stephen L Buka,et al.  Unsafe to Play? Neighborhood Disorder and Lack of Safety Predict Reduced Physical Activity among Urban Children and Adolescents , 2004, American journal of health promotion : AJHP.

[22]  P. Gordon-Larsen,et al.  Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Patterns Are Associated With Selected Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors , 2006, Pediatrics.

[23]  Lawrence D. Frank,et al.  Active transportation and physical activity: opportunities for collaboration on transportation and public health research , 2004 .

[24]  Effects of obesity, social interactions, and physical environment on physical activity in preschoolers. , 1990, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[25]  Carrie D. Heitzler,et al.  Correlates of physical activity in a national sample of children aged 9-13 years. , 2006, Preventive medicine.

[26]  R Wentz,et al.  Traffic calming for the prevention of road traffic injuries: systematic review and meta-analysis , 2003, Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention.

[27]  P. Freedson,et al.  Evaluating a model of parental influence on youth physical activity. , 2003, American journal of preventive medicine.

[28]  Kenneth Olden,et al.  Urban Sprawl and Public Health: Designing, Planning, and Building for Healthy Communities , 2005, Environmental Health Perspectives.

[29]  R. Lowry,et al.  National prevalence and correlates of walking and bicycling to school. , 2007, American journal of preventive medicine.

[30]  Sam Passmore,et al.  Education and Smart Growth: Reversing School Sprawl for Better Schools and Communities. Translation Paper. , 2002 .

[31]  J. Sallis,et al.  The first Active Living Research Conference: growth of a transdisciplinary field. , 2005, American journal of preventive medicine.

[32]  Donald Rose,et al.  Food store access and household fruit and vegetable use among participants in the US Food Stamp Program , 2004, Public Health Nutrition.

[33]  Lawrence M. Schell,et al.  Noise: a hazard for the fetus and newborn. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Environmental Health. , 1997, Pediatrics.

[34]  B. Giles-Corti,et al.  Socioeconomic status differences in recreational physical activity levels and real and perceived access to a supportive physical environment. , 2002, Preventive medicine.

[35]  R. Cervero.  MIXED LAND-USES AND COMMUTING: EVIDENCE FROM THE AMERICAN HOUSING SURVEY , 1996 .

[36]  Clare Cooper Marcus,et al.  Shared Outdoor Space and Community Life , 2003 .

[37]  Reid Ewing,et al.  Urban sprawl as a risk factor in motor vehicle occupant and pedestrian fatalities. , 2003, American journal of public health.

[38]  Claudia H. Williams.  The built environment and physical activity. , 2007, The Synthesis project. Research synthesis report.

[39]  C. Forinash.  Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting , 2003 .

[40]  Leonard H Epstein,et al.  The neighborhood and home environments: Disparate relationships with physical activity and sedentary behaviors in youth , 2007, Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

[41]  R. Ewing.  Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting , 2003 .

[42]  D. Armstrong,et al.  A survey of community gardens in upstate New York: implications for health promotion and community development. , 2000, Health & place.

[43]  Noreen C McDonald,et al.  Active transportation to school: trends among U.S. schoolchildren, 1969-2001. , 2007, American journal of preventive medicine.

[44]  Kelly R Evenson,et al.  Public Parks and Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls , 2006, Pediatrics.

[45]  Susan L Handy,et al.  How the built environment affects physical activity: views from urban planning. , 2002, American journal of preventive medicine.

[46]  A. Pellegrini,et al.  Physical activity play: the nature and function of a neglected aspect of playing. , 1998, Child development.

[47]  R A Lyons,et al.  Traffic calming policy can reduce inequalities in child pedestrian injuries: database study , 2005, Injury Prevention.

[48]  Ian Janssen,et al.  Vascular Risks and Management of Obesity in Children and Adolescents , 2006, Vascular health and risk management.

[49]  Jeffrey S. Morris,et al.  Characteristics of school campuses and physical activity among youth. , 2007, American journal of preventive medicine.

[50]  David W. Reynolds,et al.  Lead Exposure in Children: Prevention, Detection, and Management , 2005, Pediatrics.

[51]  Angie S Page,et al.  Commuting to school: are children who walk more physically active? , 2003, American journal of preventive medicine.

[52]  R. Cervero,et al.  TRAVEL DEMAND AND THE 3DS: DENSITY, DIVERSITY, AND DESIGN , 1997 .

[53]  C. Antonakos,et al.  Changes in physical activity beliefs and behaviors of boys and girls across the transition to junior high school. , 1998, The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

[54]  Ann M. Dellinger,et al.  From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Barriers to children walking and biking to school--United States, 1999. , 2002, JAMA.

[55]  J. G. Hendrick,et al.  Environmental tobacco smoke: A hazard to children , 1997 .

[56]  Christine M. Hoehner,et al.  Perceived and objective environmental measures and physical activity among urban adults. , 2005, American journal of preventive medicine.

[57]  R. Cervero,et al.  COMMUTING IN TRANSIT VERSUS AUTOMOBILE NEIGHBORHOODS , 1995 .

[58]  A. Loukaitou-Sideris.  Is it Safe to Walk?1 Neighborhood Safety and Security Considerations and Their Effects on Walking , 2006 .

[59]  S. Carlson,et al.  Barriers to children walking to or from school--United States, 2004. , 2005, MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report.

[60]  Barbara E Ainsworth,et al.  Prevalence of active commuting at urban and suburban elementary schools in Columbia, SC. , 2005, American journal of public health.

[61]  A. Cheadle,et al.  Operational Definitions of Walkable Neighborhood: Theoretical and Empirical Insights. , 2006, Journal of physical activity & health.

[62]  Nancy F Krebs,et al.  Prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity. , 2003, Pediatrics.

[63]  S. Raudenbush,et al.  Relationship between Urban Sprawl and Physical Activity, Obesity, and Morbidity , 2003, American journal of health promotion : AJHP.

[64]  Rocky Mountain,et al.  COUNCIL OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITY PLANNERS, INTERNATIONAL , 2010 .

[65]  H. Brumberg,et al.  Ambient Air Pollution: Health Hazards to Children , 2013, Pediatrics.

[66]  Richard P Troiano,et al.  The association between urban form and physical activity in U.S. adults. , 2002, American journal of preventive medicine.

[67]  K. Ginsburg.  The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds , 2007, Pediatrics.

[68]  Michigan Section,et al.  INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS , 2011 .

[69]  M J Cynecki,et al.  A REVIEW OF PEDESTRIAN SAFETY RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD , 2004 .

[70]  L. Mazur,et al.  Spectrum of Noninfectious Health Effects From Molds , 2006, Pediatrics.

[71]  D. Brand,et al.  Parents' perceptions of neighborhood safety and children's physical activity. , 2006, Preventive medicine.

[72]  Ariane L. Bedimo-Rung,et al.  The significance of parks to physical activity and public health: a conceptual model. , 2005, American journal of preventive medicine.

[73]  J. Salmon,et al.  Where do children usually play? A qualitative study of parents' perceptions of influences on children's active free-play. , 2006, Health & place.

[74]  June M. Tester,et al.  A matched case-control study evaluating the effectiveness of speed humps in reducing child pedestrian injuries. , 2004, American journal of public health.

[75]  Reid Ewing,et al.  Traffic Calming: State of the Practice , 1999 .

[76]  K. Spink,et al.  Factors That Influence Physical Activity Participation Among High- and Low-SES Youth , 2006, Qualitative health research.

[77]  Ariane L. Bedimo-Rung,et al.  Proximity to School and Physical Activity Among Middle School Girls: The Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls Study. , 2006, Journal of physical activity & health.

[78]  D. Hyman,et al.  Active Healthy Living: Prevention of Childhood Obesity Through Increased Physical Activity , 2006, Pediatrics.

[79]  J. Sallis,et al.  Active commuting to school: Associations with environment and parental concerns. , 2006, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[80]  Lisa Heschong,et al.  Daylighting Impacts on Human Performance in School , 2002 .