Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
PLoS One. 2013 May 2;8(5):e62525. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062525. Print 2013.
There is limited evidence on the causality of previously observed associations between neighborhood traffic safety and physical activity (PA). This study aims to contribute to this evidence by assessing the extent to which changes over time in neighborhood traffic safety were associated with PA.
Data were accessed from the national survey Netherlands Housing Research for 2006 and 2009. The two samples of in total 57,092 Dutch residents aged 18-84 years lived in 320 neighbourhoods. Using multi-level hurdle models, the authors assessed whether the odds of being physically active and the mean hours of PA among active people (in 2009) were related to the levels of neighborhood traffic safety (in 2006) and changes in the levels of neighborhood traffic safety (between 2006 and 2009). Next, we examined if these associations varied according to gender, age, and employment status.
Higher levels of neighborhood traffic safety were associated with higher odds of being active (OR 1.080 (1.025-1.139)). An increase in levels of neighborhood traffic safety was associated with increased odds of being active (OR 1.060 (1.006-1.119)). This association was stronger among women, people aged 35 to 59, and those who were gainfully employed. Neither levels of traffic safety nor changes in these levels were associated with the mean hours of PA among people who were physically active (OR 0.997 (0.975-1.020); OR 1.001 (0.978-1.025), respectively).
Not only levels of neighborhood traffic safety, but also increases in neighborhood traffic safety were related to increased odds of being active. This relationship supports claims for a causal relationship between neighborhood traffic safety and PA.
先前观察到的邻里交通安全与身体活动（PA）之间的关联的因果关系证据有限。本研究旨在通过评估邻里交通安全随时间的变化与 PA 之间的关联程度来为该证据做出贡献。
数据来自于 2006 年和 2009 年的全国荷兰住房研究调查。共有 57092 名年龄在 18-84 岁的荷兰居民居住在 320 个街区的两个样本中。使用多层次障碍模型，作者评估了邻里交通安全水平（2006 年）和邻里交通安全水平的变化（2006 年至 2009 年）与 2009 年活跃人群的身体活动可能性和平均活动时间之间的关系。接下来，我们研究了这些关联是否因性别、年龄和就业状况而异。
更高的邻里交通安全水平与更高的活动可能性相关（OR 1.080（1.025-1.139））。邻里交通安全水平的提高与活动可能性的提高相关（OR 1.060（1.006-1.119））。这种关联在女性、35 至 59 岁的人群和有薪就业者中更强。在活跃人群中，交通安全水平和这些水平的变化均与平均活动时间无关（OR 0.997（0.975-1.020）；OR 1.001（0.978-1.025））。
不仅是邻里交通安全水平，而且邻里交通安全水平的提高与活动可能性的增加相关。这种关系支持了邻里交通安全与 PA 之间存在因果关系的说法。
