Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 10;10(10):e034882.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034882.

Effects of walkability on physical activity and obesity: a prospective observational study protocol

Yalan Zhang #  1 , Siyu Chen #  2 , Jiayang Shi  1 , Zongtao Chen  3
Affiliations

Effects of walkability on physical activity and obesity: a prospective observational study protocol

Yalan Zhang et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide, which could lead to a set of chronic and metabolic diseases. Physical activity is a modifiable factor for obesity, which was reported to be correlated with the built environment. However, the effects of the built environment on physical activity are not consistent. Walkability is a convenient way to assess the built environment. We aim to prospectively explore the relationship among walkability, physical activity and obesity in Chinese participants in Chongqing, a hilly city and provide evidence for future urban planning.

Methods and analysis: Participants will be recruited from people who receive health examination in the Health Management Centre, the First Affiliated Hospital to Army Medical University. Exposure variables are WalkScores calculated within the areas around workplace and residential addresses of participants. The primary outcomes are body mass index measured through health examination at baseline and follow-ups, and daily walking steps recorded by WeChat mini application for 30 days after every time of health examination. Other health-related data of the participants will also be collected. Multivariate regression analysis will be performed to examine the relationship between exposure variables and outcomes.

Ethics and dissemination: The Protocol is approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital to Army Medical University (KY201839). The results will be actively disseminated through peer-review journals and conference publications.

Registration number: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1800017680).

Keywords: clinical physiology; epidemiology; sports medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of study. BMI, body mass index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gregg EW, Shaw JE. Global health effects of overweight and obesity. N Engl J Med 2017;377:80–1.10.1056/NEJMe1706095 - DOI - PubMed
    1. GBD 2015 Obesity Collaborators, Afshin A, Forouzanfar MH, et al. . Health effects of overweight and obesity in 195 countries over 25 years. N Engl J Med 2017;377:13–27.10.1056/NEJMoa1614362 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang YF, Sun MX, Xue H, et al. . [Understanding the China blue paper on obesity prevention and control and policy implications and recommendations for obesity prevention and control in China]. Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi 2019;53:875–84.10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-9624.2019.09.003 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hu L, Huang X, You C, et al. . Prevalence of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in southern China. PLoS One 2017;12:e183934. 10.1371/journal.pone.0183934 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang Y, Mi J, Shan X-Y, et al. . Is China facing an obesity epidemic and the consequences? the trends in obesity and chronic disease in China. Int J Obes 2007;31:177–88.10.1038/sj.ijo.0803354 - DOI - PubMed