Abstract

Healthy cities promote easy access to environments where residents of diverse socio-economic background, life stage, and physical ability may engage in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Planning for human-oriented LTPA environments requires spatially referenced evidence on actual LTPA environments and their users.

Owing to limitations in large-scale collection of place-based health behaviour data, research on the actual environments where residents engage in leisure-time physical activity is in short supply. This study applies public participation GIS (PPGIS), an advanced participatory mapping method to explore the spatial dimensions of urban dwellers’ LTPA behaviour in and outside of the residential context.

Data and methods: Cross-sectional survey data of adults aged 18 to 65 was collected using an online PPGIS survey. Data collection took place in August 2018 in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Using the survey’s mapping tool, participants located destinations they frequently visit for LTPA. Follow-up questions on visiting frequency, activity level, and travel mode were posed for each destination. GIS analyses were used to categorise LTPA locations based on their land-use and accessibility. LTPA locations were categorised into indoor, built outdoor and natural outdoor environments. Patterns in the environment type, visiting frequency, and accessibility of the LTPA locations were assessed with statistical analyses.

Results: Significant differences were observed in the use of the identified LTPA environments. Natural outdoor environments were the most common setting for LTPA, measured both in the number of mapped LTPA locations and the visiting frequency. Indoor environments were visited less frequently but contributed more to the overall level of PA. Public open spaces within walking distance from the residential location were particularly important for respondents with children, respondents on low income, and respondents reporting the lowest participation rates in PA. Visiting frequency correlated strongly with network distance.

Implications: This study introduces a framework for the joint and spatially sensitive analysis of observed built environment measures and LTPA environments mapped by laymen participants. Preliminary results support a holistic conception of LTPA, which acknowledges the diversity of person-environment interactions affecting the use of accessible LTPA environments. These results may be used to inform planning and policy efforts aiming to increase population-level PA with built environment interventions.