Neighborhood design and perceptions: Relationship with active commuting

Purpose: Walking to and from school contributes to total physical activity levels. This study investigated whether perceived and actual neighborhood features were associated with walking to or from school among adolescent girls. Methods: A sample of geographically diverse eighth-grade girls (N = 890) from the Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG) study living within 1.5 miles of their middle school was recruited. Participants completed a self-administered survey on their neighborhood and walking behavior. Geographic information system data were used to assess objective neighborhood features. Nested multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the contribution of perceived and objective measures of walking to or from school. Results: Fifty-six percent (n = 500) of the girls walked to or from school for at least 1 d in a week. White (42%) girls walked more frequently than Hispanic (25%) and African American (21%) girls. Girls were nearly twice as likely to walk to or from school if they perceived their neighborhoods as safe and perceived that they had places they liked to walk, controlling for other potential confounders. In addition, girls who lived closer to school, had more active destinations in their neighborhood, and had smaller-sized blocks were more likely to walk to or from school than those who did not. Conclusions: Safety, land use, and school location issues need to be considered together when designing interventions to increase walking to and from school.