ArticleBMJ open2019
Is neighbourhood walkability related to body mass index among different age groups? A cross-sectional study of Canadian urban areas.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Measurement tools to assess the obesogenic environment in neighborhood: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2025Article
- A Review of the Role of Built Environment and Temperature in the Development of Childhood Obesity.Cureus · 2023Review
- Article
- Determining thresholds for spatial urban design and transport features that support walking to create healthy and sustainable cities: findings from the IPEN Adult study.The Lancet. Global health · 2022Review
- Measuring the Built Environment in Studies of Child Health-A Meta-Narrative Review of Associations.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- The Relationship of Urban Form on Children and Adolescent Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review of Canadian Evidence.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundStudies of neighbourhood walkability and body mass index (BMI) have shown mixed results, possibly due to biases from self-reported outcomes or differential effects across age groups. Our objective was to examine relationships between walkability and objectively measured BMI in various age groups, in a nationally representative population.
methodsThe study population came from the 2007-2011 Canadian Health Measures Survey, a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative Canadian population. In our covariate-adjusted analyses, we included survey respondents aged 6-79 who were not pregnant, did not live in rural areas, were not missing data and were not thin/underweight. We used objectively measured height and weight to calculate BMI among adults aged 18-79 and zBMI among children aged 6-17. We categorised respondents into walkability quintiles based on their residential Street Smart Walk Score values. We performed linear regression to estimate differences between walkability quintiles in BMI and zBMI. We analysed adults and children overall; age subgroups 6-11, 12-17, 18-29, 30-44, 45-64 and 65-79; and sex subgroups.
resultsThe covariate-adjusted models included 9265 respondents overall. After adjustment, differences between walkability quintiles in BMI and zBMI were small and not statistically significant, except for males aged 6-17 in the second-highest walkability quintile who had significantly lower zBMIs than those in the lowest quintile.
conclusionAfter accounting for confounding factors, we did not find evidence of a relationship between walkability and BMI in children or adults overall, or in any age subgroup with sexes combined. However, post hoc analysis by sex suggested males aged 6-17 in more walkable areas may have lower zBMIs.
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