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Abstract Despite associations found between physical activity and depression, and the built environment and physical activity, there appears to be inconclusive evidence regarding the role of built environment attributes with preventing depression among the elderly. This is mainly because few studies exist on this topic. In addition, the majority of existing studies have been conducted in Western countries; and there is a dearth of studies in other regions, where the built, social, and cultural environment is different than Western countries. Using data from Japanese older adults, this study examined the associations between objectively-assessed built environment attributes and depressive symptoms. We examined these associations stratified by gender, since research has well-documented gender differences in depression. Data were from 328 older adults living in Japan. Built environment attributes were objectively calculated and Walk Score ® ratings were obtained from the website. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the GDS-15. Gender-stratified regression models were used to estimate the associations. We found that a walkable environment characterized by a high population density and proximate local destinations to be supportive for a better mental health among older adults, in particular for women. These findings suggest that walkable built environment attributes may influence depression among older women in an Asian urban context. This study contributed to the literature by examining how walkable urban design may influence elderly's depression in a setting with extreme level of environmental attributes. Investing in urban design to promote walkability may help in reducing the observed gender gap in depression in the Japanese population. Highlights • Urban design attributes were associated with older adults' depression among women. • High population density and proximate destinations supported better mental health. • Walkable environment may influence depression among women in an Asian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies examine associations between objectively-calculated neighbourhood built environment attributes and objectively-assessed sedentary behaviour in different geographical locations, especially in highly-populated environments. Additionally, no study, to our knowledge, has investigated associations between objective measures of neighbourhood built environment attributes and objectively-assessed sedentary behaviours in middle-aged adults, despite the fact that this is a critical stage of life when age-related functional decline begins. We examined the associations between neighbourhood built environment attributes with the total, and patterns of, objectively-assessed sedentary behaviours in a densely-populated area in Asia. Data from 866 adults (ages 40 to 64) living in Japan were included. Four classifications of sedentary behaviours, including daily total sedentary time, duration and number of long (≥30 min) sedentary bouts and breaks per sedentary hour, were estimated using hip-worn accelerometers. Individual (population density, availability of destinations, number of intersections, and distance to the nearest park) and composite (walkability and Walk Score®) neighbourhood built environment indices were calculated using geographic information systems. Covariate-adjusted multilevel linear mixed effects models were used to estimate the associations between the neighbourhood built environment attributes and sedentary behaviours. Population density and availability of destinations were positively associated with sedentary behaviours; however, the number of intersections was negatively associated with sedentary behaviours. No associations were observed between the distance to the nearest park and sedentary behaviours. There were positive associations between walkability and total sedentary time, and duration and the number of long sedentary bouts. Walk Score® was positively associated with total sedentary time and the number of long sedentary bouts. These findings suggest that urban design attributes supportive of walking (except for the number of intersections) may encourage sedentary behaviour among middle-aged adults living in densely-populated environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimated the associations between neighbourhood characteristics and self-reported body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) risk categories among Canadian men and women. Using data from the Alberta's Tomorrow Project (n = 14,550), we estimated 3- and 4-way intersections, business destinations, population count, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) within a 400 m radius of participant's home. Intersections, business destinations, and population count (z-scores) were summed to create a walkability score. Four-way intersections and walkability were negatively associated with overweight and obesity. Walkability was negatively associated with obesity. NDVI was negatively associated with high-risk WHR and population count and walkability positively associated with high-risk WHR. Among men, population count and walkability were negatively associated with obesity, and business destinations and walkability were negatively associated with overweight and obesity. Among women, NDVI was negatively associated with overweight (including obesity), obesity, and high-risk WC. Interventions promoting healthy weight could incorporate strategies that take into consideration local built environment characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]