Berry Narelle M, Coffee Neil T, Nolan Rebecca, Dollman James, Sugiyama Takemi
Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UQ, UK.
Centre for Research and Action in Public Health (CeRAPH), UC Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra 2601, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Aug 26;14(9):965. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14090965.
Although the health benefits of walking are well established, participation is lower in rural areas compared to urban areas. Most studies on walkability and walking have been conducted in urban areas, thus little is known about the relevance of walkability to rural areas. A computer-assisted telephone survey of 2402 adults (aged ≥18 years) was conducted to determine walking behaviour and perceptions of neighbourhood walkability. Data were stratified by urban (n = 1738) and rural (n = 664). A greater proportion of respondents reported no walking in rural (25.8%) compared to urban areas (18.5%). Compared to urban areas, rural areas had lower walkability scores and urban residents reported higher frequency of walking. The association of perceived walkability with walking was significant only in urban areas. These results suggest that environmental factors associated with walking in urban areas may not be relevant in rural areas. Appropriate walkability measures specific to rural areas should be further researched.
尽管步行对健康的益处已得到充分证实，但与城市地区相比，农村地区的步行参与率较低。大多数关于步行便利性和步行的研究都是在城市地区进行的，因此对于步行便利性与农村地区的相关性了解甚少。我们对2402名成年人（年龄≥18岁）进行了一项计算机辅助电话调查，以确定他们的步行行为和对邻里步行便利性的看法。数据按城市（n = 1738）和农村（n = 664）进行分层。与城市地区（18.5%）相比，农村地区报告从不步行的受访者比例更高（25.8%）。与城市地区相比，农村地区的步行便利性得分较低，而城市居民报告的步行频率较高。感知到的步行便利性与步行之间的关联仅在城市地区显著。这些结果表明，与城市地区步行相关的环境因素在农村地区可能并不适用。应进一步研究针对农村地区的适当步行便利性措施。
