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ABSTRACT: Objective
Higher neighbourhood walkability would be expected to contribute to better health, but the relevant evidence is inconsistent. This may be because residents' dietary attributes, which vary with socio-economic status (SES) and influence their health, can be related to walkability. We examined associations of walkability with dietary attributes and potential effect modification by area-level SES.Design
The exposure variable of this cross-sectional study was neighbourhood walkability, calculated using residential density, intersection density and destination density within 1-km street-network buffer around each participant's residence. The outcome variables were dietary patterns (Western, prudent and mixed) and total dietary energy intake, derived from a FFQ. Main and interaction effects with area-level SES were estimated using two-level linear regression models.Setting
Participants were from all states and territories in Australia.Participants
The analytical sample included 3590 participants (54 % women, age range 34 to 86).Results
Walkability was not associated with dietary attributes in the whole sample. However, we found interaction effects of walkability and area-level SES on Western diet scores (P < 0·001) and total energy intake (P = 0·012). In low SES areas, higher walkability was associated with higher Western dietary patterns (P = 0·062) and higher total energy intake (P = 0·066). In high SES areas, higher walkability was associated with lower Western diet scores (P = 0·021) and lower total energy intake (P = 0·058).Conclusions
Higher walkability may not be necessarily conducive to better health in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Public health initiatives to enhance neighbourhood walkability need to consider food environments and socio-economic contexts.
SUBMITTER: Chandrabose M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9991640 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Chandrabose Manoj M Cao Yingting Tina YT Hadgraft Nyssa N Higgs Carl C Shuvo Faysal F Dunstan David W DW Owen Neville N Sugiyama Takemi T
Public health nutrition 20220518 9
<h4>Objective</h4>Higher neighbourhood walkability would be expected to contribute to better health, but the relevant evidence is inconsistent. This may be because residents' dietary attributes, which vary with socio-economic status (SES) and influence their health, can be related to walkability. We examined associations of walkability with dietary attributes and potential effect modification by area-level SES.<h4>Design</h4>The exposure variable of this cross-sectional study was neighbourhood w ...[more]