SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2018
Do Natural Experiments of Changes in Neighborhood Built Environment Impact Physical Activity and Diet? A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Impacts of built environment changes on physical activity in Canada: a systematic review of natural experiments.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2026Pooled it
- Impact of structural-level environmental interventions on physical activity: a systematic review.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of environmental interventions based on social programs on physical activity levels: A systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Examining the effectiveness of place-based interventions to improve public health and reduce health inequalities: an umbrella review.BMC public health · 2021Pooled it
- Green Space and Health in Mainland China: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Evaluating the health effects of place-based slum upgrading physical environment interventions: A systematic review (2012-2018).Social science & medicine (1982) · 2020Pooled it
- Using natural experiments to improve public health evidence: a review of context and utility for obesity prevention.Health research policy and systems · 2020Pooled it
- The Change Club intervention: 2-year impacts from a cluster-randomized trial in rural communities in New York and Texas.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of a civic engagement approach to catalyze built environment change and promote healthy eating and physical activity among rural residents: a cluster (community) randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2022Trial
- Multi-use physical activity trails in an urban setting and cardiovascular disease: a difference-in-differences analysis of a natural experiment in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Trial
- Using participatory methods to develop context-specific local government actions to create healthy food and physical activity environments for school-aged children: a case study in Flanders.Health research policy and systems · 2026Article
- Field Experiments on Health and the Built Environment in Urban Settings: A Scoping Review.Current environmental health reports · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and equity impacts of traffic restriction schemes outside schools: a controlled natural experimental study.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- A Qualitative Investigation of University Student's Perceptions of Health Behaviours and Associations With Educational Outcomes Through the Lens of the WHO Framework on Health Behaviours and Educational Outcomes.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2025Article
- Built environment and chronic kidney disease: current state and future directions.Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension · 2025Review
- The moderating effect of access to food facilities and recreational activity space on mHealth multiple health behavior change intervention.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Article
- The impact of exposure to green or bluespace on dietary intake and food choices among adults-A systematic literature review.Food science & nutrition · 2024Review
- Neighborhood Collective Efficacy: A Longitudinal Social Determinant of Access to Medical Care Among Recently Immigrated Latina Young Adults.Hispanic health care international : the official journal of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses · 2024Article
- Prioritizing a research agenda on built environments and physical activity: a twin panel Delphi consensus process with researchers and knowledge users.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Physical activity and diet are major modifiable risk factors for chronic disease and have been shown to be associated with neighborhood built environment. Systematic review evidence from longitudinal studies on the impact of changing the built environment on physical activity and diet is currently lacking. A systematic review of natural experiments of neighborhood built environment was conducted. The aims of this systematic review were to summarize study characteristics, study quality, and impact of changes in neighborhood built environment on physical activity and diet outcomes among residents. Natural experiments of neighborhood built environment change, exploring longitudinal impacts on physical activity and/or diet in residents, were included. From five electronic databases, 2084 references were identified. A narrative synthesis was conducted, considering results in relation to study quality. Nineteen papers, reporting on 15 different exposures met inclusion criteria. Four studies included a comparison group and 11 were pre-post/longitudinal studies without a comparison group. Studies reported on the impact of redeveloping or introducing cycle and/or walking trails (
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.