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Biomedical subjects

Richard Killingsworth

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Killingsworth.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Indicators of activity-friendly communities: an evidence-based consensus process.

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity, even at modest intensities, is associated with many health benefits. Most Americans, however, do not engage in the recommended levels. As practitioners seek ways to increase population rates of physical activity, interventions and advocacy efforts are being targeted to the community level. Yet, advocates, community leaders, and researchers lack the tools needed to assess local barriers to and opportunities for more active, healthy lifestyles. Investigators used a systematic review process to identify key indicators of activity-friendly communities that can assess and improve opportunities for regular physical activity. METHODS: Investigators conducted a comprehensive literature review of both peer-reviewed literature and fugitive information (e.g., reports and websites) to generate an initial list of indicators for review (n=230). The review included a three-tiered, modified Delphi consensus-development process that incorporated input of international, national, state, and local researchers and practitioners from academic institutions, federal and state government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and funding agencies in public health, transportation, urban planning, parks and recreation, and public policy. RESULTS: Ten promising indicators of activity-friendly communities were identified: land use environment, access to exercise facilities, transportation environment, aesthetics, travel patterns, social environment, land use economics, transportation economics, institutional and organizational policies, and promotion. CONCLUSIONS: Collaborative, multidisciplinary approaches are underway to test, refine, and expand this initial list of indicators and to develop measures that communities, community leaders, and policymakers can use to design more activity-friendly community environments.

Consensus↗
PubMed2002

Theoretical approaches to the promotion of physical activity: forging a transdisciplinary paradigm.

BACKGROUND: Research in the physical activity promotion arena has focused on the application of theoretical perspectives aimed primarily at personal levels of understanding and analysis. The investigation of such theories has provided some insights related to potentially useful mediators of physical activity behavior. However, to continue to expand this field, new perspectives on personal-level theories, in addition to the exploration of more macro-level conceptual perspectives, are required. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to: (1) briefly review the current strengths and limitations of the personal-level, physical activity-theory literature; and (2) introduce concepts and perspectives from other fields, including the social-ecology and urban-planning fields, of potential relevance to the physical activity arena. METHOD: We provide an overview of potentially relevant theoretical perspectives aimed at different levels of understanding and analysis, from the personal level through the broader-scale meso- and macro-environmental perspectives. In addition, we suggest initial steps to take in developing a transdisciplinary paradigm encompassing all such levels of analysis and investigation. CONCLUSIONS: Given the scope of the physical inactivity epidemic facing the U.S. population currently and in the future, methods and approaches that integrate theory and concepts across a broader group of disciplines will be increasingly necessary.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Opportunities for integrating public health and urban planning approaches to promote active community environments.

The growing emphasis on promoting environmental change as a means to increase physical activity has motivated conversation and collaboration between researchers and practitioners in the fields of public health and urban planning. Although these fields share similar objectives, their methodological approaches for examining the association between the environment and behavior often differ in significant ways. To facilitate communication, this article discusses ways these fields can collaborate in developing and applying conceptual frameworks, adopting behavioral and environmental measures, and strengthening study designs. By collaborating to build synergism in research and dissemination, public health and urban planning professionals can enhance efforts to increase the number of communities that promote active living.

City Planning↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between urban sprawl and physical activity, obesity, and morbidity.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between urban sprawl, health, and health-related behaviors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using hierarchical modeling to relate characteristics of individuals and places to levels of physical activity, obesity, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. SETTING: U.S. counties (448) and metropolitan areas (83). SUBJECTS: Adults (n = 206,992) from pooled 1998, 1999, and 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). MEASURES: Sprawl indices, derived with principal components analysis from census and other data, served as independent variables. Self-reported behavior and health status from BRFSS served as dependent variables. RESULTS: After controlling for demographic and behavioral covariates, the county sprawl index had small but significant associations with minutes walked (p = .004), obesity (p < .001), BMI (p = .005), and hypertension (p = .018). Residents of sprawling counties were likely to walk less during leisure time, weigh more, and have greater prevalence of hypertension than residents of compact counties. At the metropolitan level, sprawl was similarly associated with minutes walked (p = .04) but not with the other variables. CONCLUSION: This ecologic study reveals that urban form could be significantly associated with some forms of physical activity and some health outcomes. More research is needed to refine measures of urban form, improve measures of physical activity, and control for other individual and environmental influences on physical activity, obesity, and related health outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between convenience of destinations and walking levels in older women.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between physical activity and (1) convenience of destinations, measured by whether destinations (such as a park, trail, businesses, and services) are within walking distance of the home, and (2) participants' perception of the quality of their neighborhood surroundings for walking, captured with a global neighborhood "walkability" rating. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data obtained in 1999. SETTING: Community in southwest Pennsylvania. SUBJECTS: Older Caucasian women (n = 149, mean age = 74.2 years). Response rate = 79%. MEASURES: Walking levels, leisure-time physical activity, and features of the neighborhood environment were measured with interviewer-administered questionnaires. Physical activity was also measured objectively with a pedometer. RESULTS: Living within walking distance (defined as within a 20-minute walk of home) of a park; biking or walking trail; or department, discount, or hardware store was related to higher pedometer readings (p < .01). In addition, there was a positive trend between the sum of destinations within walking distance of home and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire (p < .01). There was also a positive trend between participants' neighborhood "walkability" rating and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire (p < .01). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the ability to make utilitarian walking trips from home and the perception of having favorable neighborhood surroundings for walking are associated with increased physical activity levels in older women.

Aged↗