Land use mix and physical activity in middle-aged and older adults: a longitudinal study examining changes in land use mix in two Dutch cohorts

J M Noordzij*, M A Beenackers, J Oude Groeniger, E J Timmermans, I Motoc, M Huisman, F J van Lenthe

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: With urbanization and aging increasing in coming decades, societies face the challenge of keeping aging populations active. Land use mix (LUM) has been associated with cycling and walking, but whether changes in LUM relate to changes in cycling/walking is less known.

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to study the effect of LUM on cycling/walking in two Dutch aging cohorts using data with 10 years of follow-up.

METHODS: Data from 1183 respondents from the Health and Living Conditions of the Population of Eindhoven and Surroundings (GLOBE) study and 918 respondents from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were linked to LUM in 1000-m sausage network buffers at three time-points. Cycling/walking outcomes were harmonized to include average minutes spent cycling/walking per week. Data was pooled and limited to respondents that did not relocate between follow-up waves. Associations between LUM and cycling/walking were estimated using a Random Effects Within-Between (REWB) model that allows for the estimation of both within and between effects. Sensitivity analyses were performed on smaller (500-m) and larger (1600-m) buffers.

RESULTS: We found evidence of between-individual associations of LUM in 1000-m buffers and walking (β: 11.10, 95% CI: 0.08; 21.12), but no evidence of within-associations in 1000-m buffers. Sensitivity analyses using 500-m buffers showed similar between-associations, but negative within-associations (β: -35.67, 95% CI: - 68.85; - 2.49). We did not find evidence of between-individual associations of LUM in any buffer size and cycling, but did find evidence of negative within-associations between LUM in 1600-m buffers and cycling (β: -7.49, 95% CI: - 14.31; - 0.66).

DISCUSSION: Our study found evidence of positive associations between LUM and average walking time, but also some evidence of negative associations between a change in LUM and cycling/walking. LUM appears to be related to cycling/walking, but the effect of changes in LUM on cycling/walking is unclear.

Original languageEnglish
Article number29
JournalInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Feb 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding
This study was supported by the European Union Horizon2020 Program under grant agreement number 667661 (Promoting mental well-being in the ageing population - MINDMAP). The funding body enabled the harmonization of cohort data in the MINMDAP project. This article does not reflect the funding body’s views and in no way anticipates the European Commission’s future policy in this area. The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) is funded largely by a grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, Directorate of Long-Term Care. The GLOBE study is supported by grants from The Netherlands Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport, the Sick Fund Council, the Netherlands Organization for Advancement of Research, Erasmus University, and the Health Research and Development Council. MAB was funded by a Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) VENI grant on “DenCityHealth: How to keep growing urban populations healthy?” (grant number 09150161810158). The opinions expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not reflect the views of the LASA or GLOBE studies.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

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