The potential for walkability to narrow neighbourhood socioeconomic inequalities in physical function: A case study of middle-aged to older adults in Brisbane, Australia

Loh VH 1 , Rachele JN 2 , Brown WJ 3 , Ghani F 4 , Washington S 5 , Turrell G 6

Affiliations 

  • 1 Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia. Electronic address: venurs.loh@deakin.edu.au
  • 2 Centre for Health Equity, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia. Electronic address: j.rachele@unimelb.edu.au
  • 3 Centre for Research on Exercise, Physical Activity and Health and School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: w.brown@uq.edu.au
  • 4 United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: fatima.ghani@unu.edu
  • 5 School of Civil Engineering, The Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: hos@civil.uq.edu.au
  • 6 School of Health and Social Development, Centre for Population and Health Research, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia. Electronic address: gavin.turrell@deakin.edu.au
Health Place, 2019 03;56:99-105.
PMID: 30716668 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.01.020

Abstract

Residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods have poorer physical function than their advantaged counterparts, although the reasons for this remain largely unknown. We examined the moderating effects of walkability in the relationship between neighbourhood disadvantage and physical function using 2013 cross-sectional data from 5115 individuals aged 46-72 living in 200 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia. The relationship between neighbourhood disadvantage and physical function differed by levels of walkability: positive associations as levels of walkability increased for those living in more disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and no difference for those living in more advantaged neighbourhoods. Further work is required to better understand the underlying mechanisms.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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