Sprawl and Health

Kelly-Schwartz 2004 - "Is Sprawl Unhealthy?"

Kelly-Schwartz, Alexia; Stockard, Jean, et al
"Is Sprawl Unhealthy? A Multilevel Analysis of the Relationship of Metropolitan Sprawl to the Health of Individuals"
Journal of Planning Education and Research
December 2004; v.24, n2; pp.184-196
On the Web
Relevance: high

The authors replicated and extended Ewing et al's work on the effect of sprawl on health. They compared self- and physican-rated health as well as a variety of chronic conditions across metropolitan areas while controlling for income, education, sex, etc. They found that sprawl does affect health somewhat, but in a complex way that is difficult to track.  It appears that a highly gridded street network is associated with better health while more density is associated with poorer health.  While sprawl was not significantly associated with a higher prevalence of chronic conditions, among those with those conditions, the gridded street network was associated with better health.

Ewing 2005 - "Can the Physical Environment Determine Physical Activity Levels?"

Ewing, Reid
"Can the Physical Environment Determine Physical Activity Levels?"
Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews
April 2005; v.33, n.2; pp.69-75
On the Web (pdf)
Relevance: medium high

Ewing seems to be primarily reviewing and re-presenting earlier work, but does so in a concise, easy-to-grasp way. Although he doesn't show any of the data or analysis, Ewing offers elasticity estimates for the effect of the physical environment on physical activity and its mediators. The effects are greatest for the mode share of walking and public transportation. CAVEAT: Ewing shows no statistical tests or analysis, so the accuracy of these estimates is unknown.

Bauman 2002 - "Toward a Better Understanding of the Influences on Physical Activity: The Role of Determinants, Correlates, Causal Variables, Mediators, Moderators, and Confounders"

Bauman, Adrian E; Sallis, James F; et al
"Toward a Better Understanding of the Influences on Physical Activity: The Role of Determinants, Correlates, Causal Variables, Mediators, Moderators, and Confounders"
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
August 2002; v.23, n.2 (supplement); pp.5-14
On the Web (pdf)
Relevance: very low

The authors discuss and define the terms mentioned in the title. They show how complex are the influences on physical activity and demonstrate how they require careful thinking and vocabulary.

Handy 2002 - "How the Built Environment Affects Physical Activity: Views from Urban Planning"

Handy, Susan L.; Boarnet, Marlon G. et al
"How the Built Environment Affects Physical Activity: Views from Urban Planning"
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
August 2002; v.23, n.2 (supplement)
On the Web (pdf)
Relevance: low

The authors give a good overview of how urban planners think about how the built environment impacts physical activity, namely walking and biking.  They cover how to measure the built environment and travel behavior, how the built environment affects travel by foot differently from travel by car, and some tips on how empirically to connect the built environment to physical activity.

Giles-Corti 2005 - "How Important is Distance To, Attractiveness, and Size of Public Open Space?"

Giles-Corti, Billie; Broomhall, Melissa; et al
"How Important is Distance To, Attractiveness, and Size of Public Open Space?"
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
February 2005; vol.28, n.2 (supplement 2); pp.169-176
On the Web
Relevance: low

The authors surveyed Australian adults in Perth and used some sort of GIS to conclude that people walk more if they have more access to large, attractive public open space with facilities for multiple types of users. While access alone to open space was not significantly associated with achieving recommended levels of physical activity, access to large, attractive open space increased the likelihood of walking at least 6 times per week totaling >180 minutes by 50%.

Humpel 2004 - "Perceived Environment Attributes, Residential Location, and Walking for Particular Purposes"

Humpel, Nancy; Owen, Neville; et al.
"Perceived Environment Attributes, Residential Location, and Walking for Particular Purposes"
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
February 2004; vol.26, n.2; pp.119-125
On the Web
Relevance: medium-low

The authors conducted a survey of 400 Australian adults (mean age 60) on their walking habits and environmental perceptions. "Aesthetics, convenience of facilities, and access to services were positively associated with the neighborhood walking for men; convenience was associated with neighborhood walking for women."  People who walked more were more likely to say that weather did not influence their decision to walk.  Women were also more likely to walk if they lived near the coast.

Owen 2000 - "Environmental Determinants of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior"

Owen, Neville; Leslie, Eva; et al.
"Environmental Determinants of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior"
Exercise and Sport Sciences Review
October 2000; vol.28, n.4; pp153-158
On the Web
Relevance: low

The authors describe a basic model for describing the environmental determinants of physical activity and sedentary behavior. They cite the limited research that had been done so far. One interesting nugget is that one study showed that even among those who are highly physically active, those who watched 4+ hours of TV per day were twice as likely to be overweight as were those who watched less than 1 hour of TV per day.

King 2003 - "The Relationship Between Convenience of Destinations and Walking Levels in Older Women"

King, Wendy C.; Brach, Jennifer S.; et al.
"The Relationship Between Convenience of Destinations and Walking Levels in Older Women"
American Journal of Health Promotion
Sept-Oct 2003; vol.18, n.1; pp.74-82
On the Web
Relevance: medium-high

Using a small sample (149) of older women, the authors found that living within a 20 minute walk of a park; biking or walking trail; or a department, discount, or hardware store was significantly related to walking more, as objectively measured by pedometer readings.  Walking was also associated with living near more destinations and with a better neighborhood rating for walking.

Humpel 2002 - "Environmental Factors Associated with Adults' Participation in Physical Activity: A Review"

Humpel, Nancy; Owen, Neville; Leslie, Eva.
"Environmental Factors Associated with Adults' Participation in Physical Activity: A Review"
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
May 2002; vol.22, n.3; pp.188-199
On the Web
Relevance: medium-low

The authors reviewed 19 studies, finding that "accessibility, opportunities, and aesthetic attributes had significant associations with physical activities. Weather and safety showed less-strong relationships." Several of the studies focused on excercise facilities and equipments, but others looked at neighborhood attributes.

Owen 2004 - "Understanding the Environmental Influences on Walking: Review and Research Agenda"

Owen, Neville; Humpel, Nancy; et al.
"Understanding the Environmental Influences on Walking: Review and Research Agenda"
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
July 2004; vol.27, n.1; pp.67-76.
On the Web
Relevance: medium

The authors review eighteen studies and conclude that the early evidence is promising.  The studies show that aesthetic attributes, convenience of walking facilities (sidewalks, trails), accessibility of destinations, and perceptions about traffic are associated with utilitarian walking.  However, better theoretical models and more studies, especially ones that examine a causal relationship, are needed.