Does Proximity to Activity-Inducing Facilities Explain Lower Participation in Physical Activity by Low-Income and Minority Populations?

摘要

Like the rest of the nation, low-income and minority populations in New Jersey have a higherrate of obesity and a lower rate of participation in physical activity. This study examines if lowerproximity to activity-inducing infrastructure and facilities, including bicycling routes andgymnasiums, could be a reason for their lower participation in physical activity.Past studies have shown that proximity to activity-inducing facilities is generallyassociated with greater participation in physical activity for the general population.Unfortunately, some studies have found that low-income and minority populations have lowerproximity to such facilities. Other studies have indicated that proximity to facilities may notinfluence their participation in physical activity to the same extent as the general population.This study makes a statewide assessment of proximity to existing fitness facilities,existing bicycling facilities, and programmed bicycling/pedestrian projects in New Jersey. Toexamine if proximity to activity-inducing facilities is lower for the low-income and minoritypopulations, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. Analysis was carried out at thelevel of census block group and municipality. The results provide no evidence that low-incomeand minority populations have lower proximity to activity-inducing facilities. The analysis alsoshows that programmed bicycling/pedestrian projects are favorably located for these populations.The study concludes that the lower participation of low-income and minority populations in NewJersey must be explained by behavioral factors rather than proximity to facilities.