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December 5, 2006
Two new reports from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research show that safe neighborhoods and parks are major factors encouraging physical activity among California adults and teens. The reports also find that one in four California adults (6.8 million in all) doesn't walk for transportation or leisure, and more than one in four California teens (nearly 1 million in all) doesn't get the recommended amount of physical activity.
"These findings expand our idea of what constitutes a healthy community," said E. Richard Brown, Ph.D., who co-authored both studies and is director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and a professor in the School of Public Health. "They also show that urban planners, school leaders, parks officials and law enforcement - along with the more traditional members of the health policy community - can play important roles promoting healthy lifestyles."
Race and income also influence walking and physical activity. For example, teens from affluent families get more physical activity than their counterparts from low-income families. Latino adults walk more for transportation, while whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives walk more for leisure.
Based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, these new studies offer a rare look at walking habits and physical activity of California adults and teens, and provide valuable information for those creating new policies and/or conditions to promote healthier lifestyles.
Other findings from the study of adult walking include:
- Half of California adults walk less than one hour each week.
- Adults living above the poverty level walk more for leisure, while those below the poverty level walk more for transportation.
- Adults living below the federal poverty level spend more time walking (144 minutes per week) than other income groups (113 to 118 minutes) because they spend much more time walking for transportation.
- Safe parks and crime prevention programs increase the amount of walking adults do for leisure, but those who must walk for transportation will do so regardless of those factors.
- Adults living in neighborhoods that have low social cohesion (lack of strong relationships among neighbors, limited availability of social resources, low levels of trust among residents, etc.) tend to walk much less for leisure (65 minutes per week) compared to adults in neighborhoods with high social cohesion (76 minutes per week).
Other findings from the study of teen physical activity include:
- Teens in low-income communities are less active than those in higher-income communities, but living near a park helps to increase activity.
- In urban areas, the percentage of teens who get no physical activity in a week is about half as great among those with access to a safe park (7.8 percent) compared to those without a safe park (14.1 percent).
- Regular physical activity is higher among teens living in houses (72.9 percent) than among teens living in multi-unit apartment buildings (63.1 percent).
- Teens living in neighborhoods that their parents perceive as unsafe at night are less likely to get regular physical activity (65.1%) than teens living in neighborhoods that their parents consider safe (72.3%).
The reports were funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) as part of their efforts to promote healthy communities and healthy lifestyles.
"The findings on safety for both adults and children give us important insights for ways to increase physical activity," said Laura Leviton, Ph.D., senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The 2003 California Health Interview Survey interviewed more than 42,000 households throughout the state.
Since it was first conducted in 2001, the survey has been an essential tool for policy-makers, researchers and health advocates at every level needing a detailed snapshot of the complex health needs of California's diverse population. The survey is a collaborative project of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the California Department of Health Services and the Public Health Institute.
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research was established in 1994 and is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers. It also is the premier source of health policy information for California. The center is based in the UCLA School of Public Health and is affiliated with the UCLA School of Public Affairs.
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