SynthesisEnvironmental health and preventive medicine2020
Effects of the built environment on physical activity: a systematic review of longitudinal studies taking sex/gender into account.
Synthesis in Environmental health and preventive medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 5 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
61 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- DE-PASS Best Evidence Statement (BESt): A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on the Effectiveness of Trials on Device-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour and Their Determinants in Children Aged 5-12 Years.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of interventions in the built environment on physical activity levels: a systematic umbrella review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Pooled it
- Objectively measuring the association between the built environment and physical activity: a systematic review and reporting framework.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Pooled it
- Socioeconomic Inequalities in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour among the Chilean Population: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Locations of Physical Activity: Where Are Children, Adolescents, and Adults Physically Active? A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Objectively Measured Life Space Using Participants' Mobile Phones: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Conceptual replication and validation of the PACER survey in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA).Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Lessons from the pandemic: College students' physical activity levels, resource use, and opportunities for equitable physical activity promotion.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2026Article
- Built-environment correlates of physical activity in youth with multiple sclerosis.Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) · 2026Article
- The status of step-count monitoring and its association with physical activity and sedentary time among older adults: a cross-sectional study of silver human resources center members.Journal of physical therapy science · 2026Article
- Objective and perceived neighbourhood walkability: population-average associations with transportation and recreational physical activity in urban-dwelling Canadian adults.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Demographic and socio-economic predictors of physical activity among young adults in Lephalale, Limpopo Province, South Africa.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Environmental determinants of hiking, jogging, and cycling along the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei grand canal: implications for health promotion.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Analyzing health inequality among adolescents in Chile: Physical activity, socioeconomics, and play environments across genders.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Community perspectives on the built environment, community stress, and the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in Accra, Ghana.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Physical activity among cancer survivors: do neighborhood walkability and metropolitan size play a role?Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Article
- Social factors, health policy, and environment: implications for cardiovascular disease across the globe.European heart journal · 2025Review
- The Relationship with Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines in Preschool-Aged Children: A Systematic Review.Pediatric reports · 2025Review
- Cycling infrastructure as a determinant of cycling for recreation and transportation in Montréal, Canada: a natural experiment using the longitudinal national population health survey.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- Examining the Relationship Between Urinary Incontinence and Women's Physical Activity Engagement: Barriers and Disclosure Patterns.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIndividual health behavior is related to environmental and social structures. To promote physical activity (PA) effectively, it is necessary to consider structural influences. Previous research has shown the relevance of the built environment. However, sex/gender differences have yet not been considered. The aim of this systematic review was to identify built environmental determinants of PA by taking sex/gender into account.
methodsA systematic literature search was carried out using six electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, SportDiscus, PsycInfo, Scopus, Web of Knowledge) to identify studies analyzing the effect of changes in the built environment on PA, taking sex/gender into account. To be included, studies had to be based on quantitative data and a longitudinal study design. Changes in the built environment had to be objectively assessed. The methodological quality of the studies was examined using the QualSyst tool for examining risk of bias.
resultsIn total, 36 studies published since 2000 were included in this review. The data synthesis revealed that the majority of reviewed studies found the built environment to be a determinant of PA behavior for both, males and females, in a similar way. Creating a new infrastructure for walking, cycling, and public transportation showed a positive effect on PA behavior. Findings were most consistent for the availability of public transport, which was positively associated with overall PA and walking. The improvement of walking and cycling infrastructure had no effect on the overall level of PA, but it attracted more users and had a positive effect on active transportation. In women, the availability of public transport, safe cycling lanes, housing density, and the distance to daily destinations proved to be more relevant with regard to their PA behavior. In men, street network characteristics and road environment, such as intersection connectivity, local road density, and the presence of dead-end roads, were more important determinants of PA.
conclusionThis review sheds light on the relevance of the built environment on PA. By focusing on sex/gender differences, a new aspect was addressed that should be further analyzed in future research and considered by urban planners and other practitioners.
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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.