PERCEIVED NEIGHBOURHOOD BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR LEISURE PURPOSES: THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i44.2271Keywords:
Perceived neighbourhood-built environment, Leisure purpose physical activity, Neighbourhood socioeconomic statusAbstract
Sedentary lifestyle is a persistent issue in Malaysia, contributing to the country’s rising obesity rate. Evidence throughout the years has highlighted that built and social environments are significant factors of physical activity; however, the estimation of those factors is seldom approached in Malaysia. As such, this paper examines the association between perceived neighbourhood-built environment (PNBE) and physical activity for leisure purposes (PAL) among urban Malaysian adults, moderated by neighbourhood socioeconomic status (NSES). Urban residents of higher- and lower-NSES in Johor Bahru city (n=256) were approached through stratified random sampling. The PNBE factors included were residential density, walking and cycling facilities, surrounding aesthetics, as well as safety from traffic and crime. Multi-group moderator analysis revealed that the construct of PNBE is significantly different across areas of higher- and lower NSES (p= 0.017, 95% CI). The findings contribute to health-oriented urban planning, highlighting the importance of integrating both aspects of built and social environments when designing neighbourhood interventions to promote active living.
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