Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35729509›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2022

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the built environment and walking: effect modification by socioeconomic status.

Chelsea D Christie, Christine M Friedenreich, Jennifer E Vena, Liam Turley, Gavin R McCormack

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.5field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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 · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Chelsea D ChristieDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, TRW 3rd floor, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, Canada. chelsea.christie1@ucalgary.ca.
Christine M FriedenreichDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, TRW 3rd floor, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
Jennifer E VenaDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, TRW 3rd floor, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
Liam TurleyDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, TRW 3rd floor, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
Gavin R McCormackDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, TRW 3rd floor, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
University of Calgary · CAAlberta Cancer Foundation · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough socioeconomic status (SES) has been shown to modify associations between the neighborhood built environment and physical activity, contradictory results exist. Objectives of this cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis were to: 1) examine whether overall neighborhood walkability and specific built characteristics were associated with walking among adults at a single point in time and after they relocate neighborhoods, and 2) test for effect modification of these associations by SES.

methodsWe linked longitudinal data from 703 adults who relocated urban neighborhoods between two waves of Alberta's Tomorrow Project (2008-2015) to neighborhood built environment data. We created a walkability index from measures of population counts, street connectivity, and destination diversity within 400 m of participants' homes. In cross-sectional analyses, we used generalized linear models to estimate associations between built characteristics and minutes walked per week at baseline. For the longitudinal analyses, we used fixed-effects linear regression models to estimate associations between changes in built characteristics and minutes walked per week. We also assessed if indicators of SES (individual education or household income) modified both sets of associations.

resultsMost cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were small and statistically non-significant. Neighborhood population count (b = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07) and street connectivity (b = - 1.75, 95% CI: - 3.26, - 0.24) were cross-sectionally associated with walking duration among the overall sample. None of the longitudinal associations were statistically significant among the overall sample. There was limited evidence of effect modification by SES, however, we found negative cross-sectional associations between street connectivity and walking among adults with lower education and income, and a positive association between percent change in walkability and change in walking among lower educated adults.

conclusionsDespite population count and street connectivity being associated with walking at baseline, changes in these built environment variables were not associated with changes in walking following residential relocation. Our findings also provide evidence, albeit weak, that changes in neighborhood walkability, resulting from residential relocation, might more strongly affect walking among low SES adults. Further longitudinal research is needed to examine built environment characteristics with walking for different purposes and to test for inequitable socioeconomic impacts.

Indexed as

Built EnvironmentEnvironment DesignAdultCross-Sectional StudiesHumansResidence CharacteristicsSocial ClassSurveys and QuestionnairesWalkingAlberta’s tomorrow projectBuilt environmentPhysical activitySocioeconomic statusWalking

Identifiers

PMID35729509
PMCPMC9210749
OpenAlexW4283207095

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.