Citation

Loder AKF, van Poppel MNM. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020; 17(1): e17010235.

Affiliation

Institute of Sport Science, University of Graz, Graz 8010, Austria.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph17010235

PMID

31905658

Abstract

Previous studies reported contradictory evidence for associations between perceived greenness and obesity mediated by physical activity, focusing on people's homes or general greenness. Data are lacking in other environments. We studied the association of perceived greenness at home and at university with BMI and physical activity. An online survey collected data from 601 participants, living and studying in and around the city of Graz, Austria; mean age of 24 years. Greenness was assessed using questions on quality of and access to green space; Body mass index (BMI) was derived from self-reported measures; physical activity and sedentariness were measured using the IPAQ questionnaire (short version). On average, BMI was 22.6 (SD = 3.7), physical activity was 63.3 (SD = 51.7) METh/week, and participants spent 5.8 (SD = 4.0) h/day sitting. Regression analyses revealed no associations between perceived greenness and BMI and physical activity for all environments, but a negative association for sedentariness and perceived greenness at home, but not at university. The results indicate a relation between perceived greenness and sedentariness, which differs for the home-and study environment.

Language: en

Keywords

Austria; built environment; environmental psychology; green space; natural environment; neighborhood greenness; public health; sedentariness