Improving Physical Activity among Residents of Affordable Housing: Is Active Design Enough?

Candace Tannis · Araliya M. Senerat · Malika Garg · Dominique Peters · Sritha Reddy Rajupet

18 citations0/0 files storedInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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Urban Transport and Accessibility Physical Activity and Health Urban Green Space and Health

Abstract

Physical inactivity increases risk of chronic disease. Few studies examine how built environment interventions increase physical activity (PA). Active design (AD) utilizes strategies in affordable housing to improve resident health. We assessed how AD housing affects PA among low-income families in Brooklyn, New York. Participants were recruited at lease signings in 2016 from a new AD apartment complex and two recently renovated comparison buildings without AD features. Eligibility included age ≥18 years with no contraindications to exercise. Anthropometric data were collected. PA was self-reported using the Recent and Global Physical Activity Questionnaires. Smartphone users shared their tracked step. Data collection was repeated one year after move-in. All data were analyzed using SPSS. Eighty-eight eligible participants completed the initial questionnaire (36 AD and 52 from 2 comparison buildings) at baseline (T0). There were no differences between AD and comparison cohorts in: stair use, PA, sitting time or, mean waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) at T0. However, the AD cohort had a lower baseline BMI (27.6 vs. 31.0, p = 0.019). At one-year follow-up (T1), 75 participants completed our survey including a 64% retention rate among those who previously completed the T0 questionnaire. Among T0 questionnaire respondents, mean daily steps increased at T1 among AD participants who moved from an elevator building (∆6782, p = 0.051) and in the comparison group (∆2960, p = 0.023). Aggregate moderate work-related activity was higher at T1 in the AD building (746 vs. 401, p = 0.031). AD building women reported more work-related PA overall but AD men engaged in more moderate recreational PA. Living in an AD building can enhance low-income residents’ PA. More research with objective measures is needed to identify strategies to sustain higher PA levels and overall health.

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References

2002How the built environment affects physical activity 2008The built environment, neighborhood crime and constrained physical activity: An exploration of inconsistent findings 2015Motives for adult participation in physical activity: type of activity, age, and gender 2001Using Signs, Artwork, and Music to Promote Stair Use in a Public Building 2014Home and Workplace Built Environment Supports for Physical Activity 2016The association between built environment features and physical activity in the Australian context: a synthesis of the literature 2012Developing and implementing the Active Design Guidelines in New York City 2018Active design in affordable housing: A public health nudge

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