Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, 113-0033, Tokyo, Japan,
Environ Health Prev Med. 2007 Jan;12(1):3-10. doi: 10.1007/BF02898186.
The purpose of this study is to delineate the association between residents' perception of the neighborhood's environments and walking time in objectively different regions in Japan.
Two regions were selected as high and low walkable regions on the basis of differences in their residential density, mixed land use and street connectivity. The subjects in this study were participants in a health promotion program focused on walking sponsored by local governments. A questionnaire was sent to the participants asking about how their perception of the neighborhood's environment related to walking, and the time spent walking per week. There were 237 residents from the high walkable region and 195 from the low walkable region who completed the study survey.
The high walkable region had a larger residential density, a high mixed land use and a higher street connectivity than the low walkable region. Walking time, and the scores of the perception of the neighborhood's environment for the high walkable region residents were significantly higher than those for the low walkable region residents. Thus, residents' perception of the neighborhood's environment generally reflected the actual physical environmental characteristics. Residents in the high walkable region whose scores for accessibility and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time. Residents in the low walkable region whose scores for accessibility, safety, convenience and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time.
The study results suggested that the neighborhood's environment may influence daily walking time. The perceptions of the neighborhood's environmental factors that correlate with walking times differ between the different regional physical environments. Therefore, to promote physical activity, the consideration of environmental factors unique to residents' neighborhood's environments is needed.
本研究旨在描绘日本不同地区居民对邻里环境的感知与步行时间之间的关联。
根据居住密度、土地混合利用和街道连通性的差异，选择两个区域作为高步行区和低步行区。本研究的对象是参加地方政府主办的以步行促进健康计划的参与者。向参与者发送问卷，询问他们对邻里环境的感知与步行以及每周步行时间的关系。共有 237 名来自高步行区和 195 名来自低步行区的居民完成了这项研究调查。
高步行区的居住密度较大，土地混合利用程度较高，街道连通性较高。高步行区居民的步行时间和邻里环境感知得分明显高于低步行区居民。因此，居民对邻里环境的感知总体上反映了实际的物理环境特征。高步行区居民中，可达性和美观性得分较高的人，步行时间明显更长。低步行区居民中，可达性、安全性、便利性和美观性得分较高的人，步行时间明显更长。
研究结果表明，邻里环境可能会影响日常步行时间。与步行时间相关的邻里环境因素的感知在不同的区域物理环境之间存在差异。因此，为了促进身体活动，需要考虑居民邻里环境特有的环境因素。
