Dias AF, Gaya AR, Brand C, Pizarro AI, Fochesatto CF, Mendes TM, Mota J, Maia Santos MP, Gaya ACA. Public Health 2019; 168: 9-16.
Affiliation
Project Sport Brazil (PROESP-Br), School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Post-graduation Program in Human Movement Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Street: Felizardo, 750, Neighborhood: Jardim botânico, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Electronic address: adroaldogaya@hotmail.com.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to examine whether adolescents' road safety perception (RSP) acts as a mediator on the association between the distance from home to the nearest park and the use of the parks for physical activity (PA). STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study.
METHODS: The evaluation was through a random sample of 1130 adolescents (534 male), corresponding to 47.3%, 14-20 years old, from Porto Alegre, Brazil. RSP was assessed through some questions of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for Youth. Park use, socioeconomic status, age, and sex were measured using a questionnaire. Distance from home to the nearest park was evaluated through geographic information system. Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation, and linear regression models were fitted as per the Baron and Kenny procedures for mediation analyses. All analyses were adjusted for sex and socioeconomic status.
RESULTS: Road safety perception is independently associated with less distance from home to the nearest park (P = 0.04) and use of the parks for PA (P = 0.02). Road safety perception is a mediator and explains 16% of the association between park use and distance from home to the park (indirect Effect = -40.9966; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 119.3733-2.2455).
CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that RSP is a mediator on the association between the distance from home to the nearest park and the use of the parks for PA. Future studies should take this into consideration frequency and intensity of PA and other environmental characteristics, such as crime, aesthetics, and neighborhood facilities.