Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2010, 39: 105–112

Authors: John MacDonald, Robert Stokes, Deborah Cohen, Aaron Kofner, Greg Ridgeway

Commentary by Rona Macniven, Cluster for Physical Activity and Health (CPAH), University of Sydney

Light rail transit (LRT) can be found in several Australian cities with proponents of their expansion found in the environmental, transport and health sectors. Modifying the built environment can alter transportation choices and subsequent behaviour. This study from the U.S. examines the cross-sectional associations between objective and perceived measures of the built environment; BMI; obesity and meeting weekly recommended physical activity (RPA) levels through walking and vigorous exercise. The study also looks at the effect of introducing an LRT system on BMI, obesity, and physical activity levels.

Participants were residents living within 1-mile of a light rail line and were randomly selected for telephone interview, which asked about environmental perceptions, height and weight, daily travel and physical activity, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). They were interviewed 8-14 month before and 6-8 months after the LRT opened. Objective measures of the physical environment were also taken through Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

Findings revealed that participants with more positive neighbourhood perceptions of one’s neighborhood at baseline were more likely to have a lower BMI (-0.36), 15% lower chance of being obese (95% Confidence Intervals (CI) =0.77, 0.94); 9% and 11% more likely to meet recommended physical activity levels through walking (95% CI=0.99, 1.20); and vigorous exercise (95% CI=1.01, 1.22). In terms of the effects of LRT usage, those who used LRT in their commute to work had an average -1.18 reduction in BMI (p_0.05) and were 81% less likely to become obese by the end of the study period (95% CI=0.04, 0.92).

These findings confirm the value of the built environment in influencing physical activity levels and preventing obesity and these findings should be useful in advocacy efforts to government and private industry to support growth of light rail services in Australian cities. Promoting of existing facilities to increase usage is also important. 

Access to this article will be dependent on your Institutional rights. Click here to visit the full article.

This AusPAnet webpage is updated regularly. If you would like to keep the content from this commentary, please ensure you save the page directly to your computer, as the current content will be eventually replaced. 

Back to AusPAnet home page.