The Physical Activity Built Environment: Evaluation of the Concordance of Perceived versus Measured Access to Parks and Bike Paths

Background: Approximately 80% of pregnant women in the US do not meet the CDC recommendation for moderate-intensity physical activity. The built environment is a key contributor to physical activity (PA) behavior. However, there may be a disconnect between physical attributes of the built environment and perceived access to an environment that supports PA. Use of a geographic information system (GIS) to objectively measure aspects of the built environment can yield important information about proximity of resources for supporting PA. We evaluated concordance of perceived access to multi-use bike paths (MUBP) and parks in a population of pregnant women. We also examined demographic characteristics associated with concordance between perceived and actual supports for PA. Methods: A population of 155 pregnant women in the greater Columbus, OH area reported perceptions of access to environmental supports within their neighborhood (defined as 0.5 mi. radius/ 10 min. walk) and community (10 mi. radius/ 20 min. ...