Environmental and policy research on physical activity is going global

Abstract

International groups have recommended environmental and policy changes as central strategies in efforts to increase physical activity worldwide. Research is needed to guide policy actions, but built environment and physical activity is a relatively new research topic that initially was conducted in just a few countries. The generalizability of findings cannot be assumed across countries with distinct environments and cultures. Initial findings, mainly from studies of North America and Australia, indicated that "walkable" community designs were related to active transportation, and proximity to parks was related to active recreation. In recent years, those general findings have mainly been supported in studies from Japan, Europe, and South America. Evidence to date indicates there may be generalizable principles about how to build communities that facilitate people being active for transportation and recreation purposes. Country-specific studies are needed to inform local decision making in city planning, transportation, parks, education, and health departments/ministries. Coordinated international studies are needed to guide international actions to reduce the epidemics of physical inactivity and chronic diseases.