Via a literature review McCormack, Paterson, Frehlich, and Lorenzetti add to the body of knowledge linking design to physical health. They determined that “The built environment (BE) may enhance or reduce the effectiveness of PA [physical activity] interventions, especially interventions that encourage PA in neighbourhood settings.” For example, “Increased distance to private gyms was associated with increases in self-reported total PA, while the density of private gyms in the neighbourhood was negatively associated with pedometer-determined steps among adults exposed to a PA intervention involving individual and group counselling. . . . Our review provides novel, but preliminary, evidence suggesting the effectiveness of interventions on PA could be conditional on the neighbourhood BE and that the in some cases supportive neighbourhood BE can increase and even decrease intervention effectiveness.”
Gavin McCormack, Michelle Paterson, Levi Frehlich, and Diane Lorenzetti. 2022. “The Association Between the Built Environment and Intervention-Facilitated Physical Activity: A Narrative Systematic Review.” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 19, no. 86, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01326-9