It is increasingly recognized that sedentariness and obesity are not solely individual problems but are responses to an environment that makes it difficult to be active and maintain a healthy weight. In this study, we will use data from the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), to address the hypothesis that the neighborhood “pedestrian environment” (urban form, comprising such factors as street layout and presence of sidewalks) influences levels of physical activity and body mass index (BMI), independent of individual level factors and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). BWHS participants fill out questionnaires every two years and report the number of hours per week they spend walking, engaging in vigorous activities, and and engaging in sedentary activities. The study will focus on participants in three cities (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago). An expert in transportation and urban planning will compile data about the pedestrian environment at the neighborhood scale for the three cities, including nature and density of land use, proximity to parks, presence of sidewalks, speed and volume of traffic, and street structure. These data will be linked to the geocoded residential addresses of BWHS participants. Using multi-level longitudinal regression techniques, we will assess the influence of the pedestrian environment on levels of utilitarian walking, walking for exercise, vigorous activity, BMI, and change in weight, controlling for personal factors and neighborhood SES. Elucidation of the role of urban form on physical activity and BMI in black women is of public health importance.

Investigators:

Patricia Coogan, Sc.D., Principal Investigator
Slone Epidemiology Center

Lynn Rosenberg, Sc.D., Co-Investigator
Slone Epidemiology Center

Study Staff:

Stephen Evens, Data Analyst

Source of funding:

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Study Period:

2006 – 2010

Publications:

None to date

Contact information:

Patricia Coogan at pcoogan@bu.edu