Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42222359›Full record

ArticleCities (London, England)2025

Evaluating the performance of spatial indicators of destination accessibility for physical activity research: a comparative international analysis.

Ester Cerin, Marc A Adams, Terry L Conway, Lawrence D Frank, Kelli L Cain, Poh-Chin Lai, Scott Duncan, Ana Queralt, Anna Timperio, Jasper Schipperijn and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cities (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

17 authors.

Ester CerinMary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Marc A AdamsCollege of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Terry L ConwayHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
Lawrence D FrankDepartment of Urban Studies and Planning, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
Kelli L CainHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
Poh-Chin LaiDepartment of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Scott DuncanSchool of Sport and Recreation, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Ana QueraltAFPIS Research Group, Department of Nursing, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Anna TimperioInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Jasper SchipperijnWorld Playground Research Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Rodrigo S ReisPeople Health and Place Unit, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Delfien Van DyckDepartment of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Paulina P Y WongScience Unit, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, China.
Jan DygrýnInstitute of Active Lifestyle, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Erica HincksonSchool of Sport and Recreation, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Javier Molina-GarciaAFIPS Research Group, Department of Teaching of Physical Education, Arts and Music, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
James F SallisMary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Funding

IPEN Adolescent: International Study of Built Environments and Physical ActivityR01HL111378 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI SALLIS, JAMES F. · 2012 to 2015
$2.8M
Ecological Analysis of Activity, Eating, & Weight in AdolescentsR01HL083454 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI SALLIS, JAMES F. · 2007 to 2010
$2.7M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL083454NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL111378
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Neighbourhoods with good access to various destinations facilitate engagement in physical activity. Because spatial indicators of destination accessibility can be operationalised in numerous ways, it is important to evaluate their ability to explain physical activity in various geographical and cultural contexts. We evaluated established as well as novel spatial indicators of destination accessibility using data from 12 cities/regions participating in an international study on adolescents' physical activity. Twelve spatial indicators of destination accessibility were developed using land use data. Five indicators represented measures of destination intensity (density), two were indicators of destination heterogeneity [land use mix (LUM) indices], and the remaining five were novel measures of combined destination intensity and heterogeneity. To evaluate these spatial indicators, we examined their performance as correlates of parent-perceived destination accessibility and adolescents' physical activity, and the extent to which the findings were generalisable across cities/regions. Substantial differences in ability to explain physical activity and comparability across geographical locations were observed across the indicators. The best performing indicator, defined as being a consistent correlate of parental perceptions of destination accessibility and adolescents' physical activity in the expected direction and across cities/regions, was a novel hybrid intensity + heterogeneity indicator: gross density of non-residential destinations weighted by a novel parcel-count-based LUM index. Indicators based on ratios of non-residential land/parcels to residential land/dwelling units performed poorly on most criteria, while LUM indices performed well in relation to transport-related physical activity. We provide recommendations regarding the usage of spatial destination accessibility indicators in physical activity research.

Indexed as

Active transportDestination densityDevice-assessed physical activityLand use mixMulti-site international study

Identifiers

PMID42222359
PMCPMC13218646

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.