Observed physical activity among Latinx and White men and women on a new urban trail.

OBJECTIVE: Despite efforts to increase physical activity through new green space infrastructure such as trails, disparities in physical activity may persist. The current study compared observed vigorous physical activity (VPA) engagement among White and Latinx men and women on a new urban trail, and whether engagement varied over time. DESIGN, SAMPLE, AND MEASURES: We used a modified System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) methodology to determine observed race/ethnicity, gender, and physical activity level of trail users (n = 15,109). RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed the odds of engaging in VPA were lower for Latina women than all other population subgroups (vs. White men: OR 0.19, CI 0.17-0.22; vs. White women: OR 0.48, CI 0.42-0.54, vs. Latino men: OR 0.23, CI 0.19-0.26). VPA engagement by White and Latina women increased across the study years (OR 1.31, CI 1.17-1.46; OR 1.36, CI 1.08-1.71, respectively) but did not differ significantly by year for White and Latino men. CONCLUSION: Future efforts to address racial/ethnic-gender disparities in VPA should take an intersectional approach to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable population subgroups are properly accounted for.

Racial/ethnic and educational differences in perceptions and use of a new urban trail.

ABSTRACTObjectives: Obesity and its associated health risks are on the rise throughout the US due, in part, to an overall decline in physical activity. Although public green spaces, and in particular trails, show promise as population-level interventions to promote physical activity among adults, these amenities may have disparate impacts across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups within a community.Design: This cross-sectional study employed an intercept survey of users of a newly opened $95 million rail-to-trail development in Chicago, IL, immediately after its opening and one year later to examine differences by race/ethnicity and educational attainment in trail use behaviors, motivations for trail use, safety concerns, and change in physical activity attributed to the trail.Results: Although the overall impact of the trail was positive, Latino users were more likely to report frequent use (4+ times/week), health motivations for using the trail, and increased physical activity attributed to the trail. However, Latino users were also more likely to indicate safety concerns and less likely to use areas of the trail in predominately white communities, even after controlling for community of residence. The least educated trail users frequented fewer trail areas and were less likely to indicate health motivations for trail use.Conclusions: Although urban trails represent an opportunity for cost-effective community-wide health promotion, they may not benefit all groups equally. Urban trails may have particularly promising benefits for Latino users, but safety concerns and the possibility of community racial segregation being replicated on trails should be addressed to maximize and sustain these benefits. Less educated residents in particular may not benefit from such projects as intended.

Neighborhood Food Environment and Health Outcomes in U.S. Low-Socioeconomic Status, Racial/Ethnic Minority, and Rural Populations: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: This review examined associations between the neighborhood food environment and health outcomes in populations with the highest obesity rates in the United States: people of low-socioeconomic status (SES), racial/ethnic minorities, and rural residents. METHODS: We searched multiple databases using preselected search terms through June 2017. Forty-three sources met criteria of peer-reviewed U.S. studies that tested food environment-health associations (e.g. obesity, diabetes) in the populations of interest. RESULTS: Evidence was sparse for multiple populations. For populations with multiple studies of adequate sample size, few found significant food environment-health associations. Modest evidence indicates that negative health outcomes were associated with (1) convenience store access for Black and Hispanic youth and (2) fast food access for Black and Hispanic adults and youth. Additionally, lower body weights were associated with supermarket and grocery store access in low-SES adults. CONCLUSION: Food environment interventions may have health benefits for some populations, but additional research is needed.

Stability of activity space footprint, size, and environmental features over six months.

As activity space measures are increasingly used to estimate exposure to environmental determinants of health, little is known about the stability of these measures over time. To test the stability of GPS-derived measures of activity-space footprint, size, and environmental features over time, we compared 14-day measures at baseline and six months later for 35 adults in a large city. Activity-space measures were based on convex hulls and 500 m route buffers, and included the geographic footprint (i.e. location of the activity space), size (i.e., area in square miles; (Cummins, 2007)), and environmental features including supermarket, fast-food restaurant, and parkland density. The proportion of the participants' smaller geographic footprint covered by the larger was, on average, 0.64 (SD 0.17) for the 500 m route buffer and 0.84 (SD 0.18) for the convex hull. Mean percent change in activity space size ranged from 36.3% (mean daily 500 m route buffer) to 221.3% (cumulative convex hull). Mean percent change in the density of environmental features ranged from 28.8 to 66.5%. Forty-one percent to 92.4% of the variance at one timepoint was predicted by environmental features measured within approximately six months. Activity-space size and environmental features were moderately to highly stable over six months, although there was considerable variation in stability between measures. Strategies for addressing measurement error in studies of activity space-health associations are discussed.

Convergent validity of an activity-space survey for use in health research.

We explored the validity of a survey measuring activity spaces for use in health research in a racially/ethnically diverse adult sample (n = 86) living in four Chicago neighborhoods. Participants reported on the location and visit frequency of 64 activities and wore a GPS data logger. We assessed the spatial congruence of survey- and GPS-derived convex hull measures and the number of GPS points within 100 m and 1000 m of survey locations. The survey-derived convex hull measures captured a small percentage (median = 35.9%) of the GPS-derived convex hull area. However, most GPS points were located within 100 m or 1000 m of home or reported survey locations (median = 73.4% and 92.6%, respectively).

How many days of global positioning system (GPS) monitoring do you need to measure activity space environments in health research?

This study examined the number of days of global positioning system (GPS) monitoring needed to measure attributes of an individual's routine activity space. Multiple alternative activity space representations (cumulative, mean daily), measures (kernel density, route buffer, convex hull), and attributes (area size, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, parks) were examined. Results suggested wide variability in required GPS days to obtain valid estimates of activity space attributes (1-23 days). In general, fewer days were needed for mean daily activity space representations, kernel density measures, and densities of environmental exposures (vs. counts). While kernel density measures reliably estimated between-person differences in attributes after just a few days, most variability in environmental attributes for convex hull and route buffer measures was within-person. Based on these results, a minimum of 14 days of valid GPS data is recommended to measure activity spaces.