Perceptions of the environment moderate the effects of objectively-measured built environment attributes on active transport. An ACTI-Cités study

Highlights

• Objective and perceived measures of the environment show poor to fair agreement.

• Both perceived and objective environmental measures relate to active transport.

• Perceptions moderate associations between objective measures and active transport.

• Correlates differ between participation and duration of active transport.

Abstract

Purpose

Both perceived and objectively-measured attributes of the built environment have been related to active transport. They do not refer, however, to the same construct: objective measurements provide an inventory of a neighborhood's active-friendly attributes, while the perceptions of individuals refer to their appraisal of their neighborhood opportunities for active travel. Both aspects are complementary in explaining active transport. This study examines the independent associations of perceived and objective environmental attributes with active transport, and whether perceptions moderate the objectively-measured environment active transport relationship.

Methods

Based on a sample of 2670 participants from the NutriNet-Santé Study (France), we examined (i) the concordance between perceptions and objective measurements of residential-based environmental attributes using kappa statistics, (ii) the associations between perceived and objectively-measured attributes and active transport by trip purpose (commuting and errand) using zero-inflated negative-binomial regressions, and (iii) the potential moderation effect of perceptions on the associations between objectively-measured environmental attributes and active transport. Information related to demographics, perceptions and transport modes was collected in 2013.

Results

A poor to fair level of agreement was observed between perceived and objectively-measured environmental attributes; both were associated with active transport for commuting and errands. Environmental correlates differed between the likelihood to engage in active transport and the time spent in transport. Perceptions positively moderated the associations between active transport and objectively-measured walkability and access to facilities. The differences in predicted active transport time between a high versus low perception of the environmental attributes for a given neighborhood ranged from 20 to 55 min for active commuting, and from 84 to 37 min for active transport for errands.

Conclusion

Associations between objectively-measured environmental attributes and active transport are dependent on individuals' perceptions of opportunities provided by their residential neighborhood. Increasing individuals’ awareness of active-friendly environmental attributes may be crucial for enhancing active transport.

Introduction

Researchers and policymakers worldwide aim at developing sustainable strategies to promote population-level physical activity (World Health Organization, 2010), with increased interest in active transport and the potential to shift from car trips to walking and cycling (Rabl and de Nazelle, 2012). Evidence suggests that higher levels of active transport benefit population health by protecting against major chronic diseases and reducing negative effects of motorized transport (e.g. gas emissions, air and noise pollution, traffic congestion, road fatalities, etc.) (Mueller et al., 2015; Xia et al., 2013).

The influence of the built environment on active transport is increasingly understood (Smith et al., 2017). Observational, experimental, and quasi-experimental studies have consistently shown an association between walking and/or cycling and the characteristics of “walkable/cyclable” neighborhoods (McCormack and Shiell, 2011; Smith et al., 2017), including the mix of land use, a high degree of street connectivity, good access to amenities, and an active-friendly transport infrastructure (Ewing and Cervero, 2010).

Contrasting findings have been reported depending on whether the built environment is measured objectively or assessed based on individuals' perceptions (Lin and Moudon, 2010; Ma and Dill, 2015; McCormack and Shiell, 2011; Owen et al., 2004; Saelens and Handy, 2008). Objective measurements of environmental attributes are typically obtained from systematic observations based on street or virtual audits or geographic information systems (GIS) based on existing spatial databases (Brownson et al., 2009), while perceptions are generally assessed using interviews or self-administered questionnaires. Studies that combined objectively and subjectively measured environmental variables in relation to active transport generally referred to different neighborhood domains, with subjective measurement relating to immaterial attributes (e.g., safety, aesthetics), and objective measures relating to physical attributes of neighborhood (e.g., urban design, land use). Most studies did not investigate whether and how the effects of perceived or objective measurements of the same environmental attribute differ in their relation with active transport. Despite its methodological importance, little evidence to date clarified the mechanisms linking objective measures of neighborhood attributes, individual's perceptions and active transport.

The current study focuses on active transport as the outcome, assessing both active transport for commuting and active transport for errands, as recommended in previous literature, since different correlates might relate to different trip purposes (Perchoux et al., 2019). We aimed to investigate (i) the concordance between perceptions and objective measurements of selected, residential-based built environment attributes expected to relate to active transport, (ii) the independent associations of perceived and objective environmental attributes with active transport, and (iii) the potential moderation effect of perceptions on the relation between objective measurements of built environment attributes and active transport. In the analyses, we took into account the likelihood to engage in active transport and for those reporting active transport the time spent active during transport.