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Background According to a socio-ecological perspective, the neighbourhood environment plays a critical role in promoting physical activity across all population groups. A comprehensive assessment of environmental characteristics is a prerequisite to the planning, implementation and evaluation of physical activity interventions. This work aims to identify existing audit tools for the assessment of physical activity related environmental features in order to evaluate a) their applicability in the European context and b) their relevance in the urban and rural context. Methods Within the research project EUBeKo[1] we searched relevant websites (e. g. Active Living Research) and scientific databases (e. g. PubMed) in order to identify existing audit instruments. We then developed a categorization system for the integration of the topics and items retrieved from the identified tools. To reveal context-relevant strengths and weaknesses, we critically inspected the instruments with the support of the current scientific evidence and literature regarding eligibility to the European context and rural/urban applicability. Results We identified 29 audit tools focusing on different topics and features influencing physical activity (e. g. infrastructure, barriers). Some also include aspects of the social environment (e. g. presence of people) or the subjective perception (e. g. walkability, aesthetics). We found that numerous tools contain aspects of the socio-ecological environment reflected on the item level that do not conform with European environmental characteristics (e. g. street signage, types of destinations). Furthermore, we identified an unequal distribution with few tools being developed explicitly for the rural context (n = 3). Conclusions It is challenging to rate the applicability and relevance of audit tools. We were able to develop a comprehensive categorization system that can assist researchers and practitioners in the selection of a suitable set of items for an optimized assessment of European physical activity environments. In addition, our work points out the need for an instrument reflecting urban and specifically rural peculiarities of the European context.

Background: There is a growing body of international data on the association between physical activity (PA) and variables of the perceived environment. German data is still lacking. The purpose of this study was to provide data on PA (moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) vs. walking) and the perceived environment in urban and rural areas. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey with inhabitants of urban ( n = 310) and rural ( n = 345) areas in the western part of Germany. The sample consisted of 655 adults [49.8% women; mean age = 43.3 (SD = 12.7)]. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-short version and the IPAQ environmental module were used. Outcome variables were time in MVPA as well as in walking. We analysed the association between perceived environmental variables and PA by a series of linear regressions. Results: We observed associations between PA and access to destinations, well-maintained sidewalks, seeing physically active people in the neighbourhood, higher residential density and neighbourhood safety. The associations varied as a function of PA (MVPA vs. walking) and area (urban vs. rural). The variance explaining the models including environmental variables as well as sex and age ranged from 1% (model: MVPA in rural area) up to 9.9% (model MVPA in urban area). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the perceived environment is important to promote both MVPA and walking in rural and urban areas. To better understand environmental correlates in rural structures, we particularly need more specific studies.