A Longitudinal Study Examining Changes in Street Connectivity, Land Use, and Density of Dwellings and Walking for Transport in Brisbane, Australia

• DOI: 10.1289/ehp2080
• Publication Date: 2018-05-06T14:46:59Z
• Authors: Rebecca Bentley; Tony Blakely; Anne Kavanagh; Zoe Aitken; Tania King; Paul McElwee; Billie Giles-Corti; Gavin Turrell
• Keywords: Walkability; Level design; Proxy (statistics)

Background: Societies face the challenge of keeping people active as they age. Walkable neighborhoods have been associated with physical activity, but more rigorous analytical approaches are needed. Objectives: We used longitudinal data from adult residents Brisbane, Australia (40–65 years age at baseline) to estimate effects changes in neighborhood characteristics over a 6-y period on likelihood walking for transport. Methods: Analyses included 2,789–9,747 How Areas Influence Health and Activity (HABITAT) cohort participants 200 baseline (2007) who completed up three follow-up questionnaires (through 2013). Principal components analysis was derive proxy measure walkability preference. Environmental predictors were street connectivity, residential density, land use mix within one-kilometer network buffer. Associations any minutes estimated using logistic linear regression, including random models adjusted time-varying confounders preference, fixed individuals eliminate confounding by time-invariant characteristics. Results: Any transport (vs. none) increased association an increase connectivity (+10 intersections, OR=1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07, 1.32), density (+5 dwellings/hectare, OR=1.10; CI: 1.05, 1.15), land-use (10% increase, OR=1.12; 1.00, 1.26). positive based models, null models. The between appeared be limited highest tertile (fixed OR=1.17; 0.99, 1.35 1-unit mix; interaction p-value=0.05). Conclusions: Increases heterogeneity among middle-age Australia. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2080