Associations between the built environment and physical activity in children, adults and older people: A narrative review of reviews

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is essential for promoting public health, and it is affected by the built environment at population level. Extensive evidence exists on the associations between the built environment and physical activity, but results are inconclusive for different age groups. Therefore, we conducted a narrative review summarizing existing reviews on the associations between the built environment and physical activity for children, adults and older people and synthesized their findings.

METHODS: We followed the PRISMA 2020 review procedure and searched for systematic reviews published between January 2010 and April 2022 in seven databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE, SocIndex and Cochrane Library) using keywords related to the built environment, urban interventions, physical activity and health.

RESULTS: The selection process yielded 29 reviews with moderate to high quality. From these reviews, we identified 21 built environment characteristics, several of which were positively related to physical activity. For example, children and older people's physical activity was positively associated with pedestrian-friendly features and general safety. Furthermore, adults and older people's physical activity was positively related to the availability and accessibility of shops/commercial services and parks/open spaces. Lastly, the walkability index was positively associated with physical activity in every age group.

CONCLUSION: Our findings provide valuable information on creating health-promoting urban environments for practitioners. Further research is needed to understand which characteristics make urban environments age friendly for physical activity. Special attention should be paid to less explored promising characteristics such as street lighting and the quality of green spaces.