Author(s): OISHI, K., AOKI, T., MORI, T., IKEUE, K., YAMAGUCHI, H., HANANO, H., YAMAMOTO, Y., HIROE, Y., ISHII, K. , Institution: DOSHISHA UNIVERSITY, Country: JAPAN, Abstract-ID: 2124

INTRODUCTION:
Abundant physical activity in adolescents is not only consistently and favorably associated with various health indicators, but also transitions to an active lifestyle in adulthood. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have focused on the neighborhood physical environment as a potential factor related to physical activity. However, previous studies have been biased in favor of a few countries. Thus, this study aimed to clarify the association of school neighborhood physical environments and socioeconomic status (SES) with adolescents’ physical activity.
METHODS:
A total of 21491 fifth- through twelfth-grade students from 76 schools covering all regions of Japan were included in the study. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Japanese Early Adolescents was used to investigate daily time of vigorous physical activity (VPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Using the geographic information system, three natural environment elements, seven built environment elements, and areal deprivation index (ADI) as SES variables were examined in each school neighborhood.
RESULTS:
For elementary school students, the amount of green cover was significantly positively associated with VPA for the low ADI group. For junior high school students, average temperature was significantly positively associated with VPA for the overall group, average temperature and the amount of green cover for the low ADI group, and the number of parks for the high ADI group. For high school students, average temperature and the number of sports facilities were significantly positively associated with VPA for the overall and low ADI groups. For elementary school students, average temperature was significantly positively associated with MVPA for the overall and high ADI groups. For junior high school students, average temperature was significantly positively associated with MVPA for the overall group, average temperature and the number of intersections for the low ADI group, and average temperature, the number of parks, and the number of destination types for the high ADI group. For high school students, ADI and the number of public transportations were significantly negatively associated with MVPA, while average temperature was significantly positively associated with MVPA. When dichotomized by ADI, average temperature and the number of sports facilities were significantly positively associated with MVPA for the low ADI group, and the number of intersections for the high ADI group.
CONCLUSION:
A number of physical environmental factors were significantly associated with physical activity among adolescents, suggesting the presence of contextual effects. In particular, higher temperatures may promote physical activity among adolescents. The built environment factors associated with physical activity in adolescents differed by school type and socioeconomic status, suggesting the need for flexible built environment development based on developmental stage and local SES.