Table 1 Summary of systematic reviews on walkability and physical activity included
Author (s) (Year) | Defined Walkability | Age Was a Criterion for Eligibility | Methodological Quality of Primary Studies Assessed | Outcome Variables | Findings of Interest | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | |||
Barnett et al. (2017) [38] | ✓ | ✓(65+) | ✓ | Total physical activity and total walking | Neighbourhood walkability was positively associated with older persons’ total physical activity and total walking. | |||
Cerin et al. (2017) [39] | ✓ | ✓(65+) | ✓ | Active travel (total walking for transport, within-neighbourhood walking for transport, cycling for transport, combined walking and cycling for transport, & all active travel outcomes combined) | Walkability was significantly positively associated with total walking and all active travel, positively associated with walking and cycling combined, but not associated with cycling for transport. | |||
Grasser et al. (2013) [30] | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Walking and cycling for transport, overall active transportation, and weight-related measures | Walkability measures were consistently positively associated with walking in studies examined. Correlations between overall active transportation and weight-related measures were weak. | |||
McCormack & Shiell (2011) [42] | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Physical activity | Walkability indices and land-use mix (a component of walkability) were consistently positively associated with physical activity, after controlling for neighbourhood self-selection. | |||
Renalds et al. (2010) [43] | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Health (physical activity, obesity and overweight, social capital, and mental health) | More walkable neighbourhoods were associated with higher levels of physical activity among residents. | |||
Van Holle (2012) [40] | ✓ | ✓(18–65) | ✓ | Physical activity domains: total physical activity, leisure-time physical activity, total walking and/or cycling, recreational walking and/or cycling, active transportation in general, transportation walking, and transportation cycling | Overall walkability was positively associated with total physical activity, transportation walking, and transportation cycling across studies. It was not associated with recreational or leisure time physical activity. There weren’t enough studies to make any conclusions about the relationship between walkability with total walking/cycling or general active transportation | |||
Zapata-Diomedi & Veerman (2016) [41] | ✓ | ✓(18+) | ✓ | Physical activity | Strong positive associations between physical activity and walkability overall. Stronger associations between walkability and transport-related and total physical activity than between walkability and recreational physical activity. | |||