Browsing by Author "Frehlich, Levi Colt"

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    Development and Assessment of a Neighbourhood International Physical Activity Questionnaire (N-IPAQ)
    (2018-06-08) Frehlich, Levi Colt; McCormack, Gavin Robert; Nettel-Aguirre, Alberto; Friedenreich, Christine Marthe
    Physical activity is a cornerstone for health, moreover, physical inactivity is independently associated with poor health outcomes. The neighbourhood built environment provides a unique opportunity to address both physical activity and inactivity. Higher walkable neighbourhoods have consistently shown increases in active transportation; however, many of these outcomes have been supported using non-context specific tools (i.e., measures of general physical activity). This project addresses this research gap by developing and testing a neighbourhood specific physical activity questionnaire (N-IPAQ). The N-IPAQ demonstrated reliability through self-administered paper and online formats. Moreover, the N-IPAQ demonstrated construct and concurrent validity using objective measures of neighborhood and physical activity. The N-IPAQ was also able to distinguish physical activity differences between high and low walkable neighborhoods. The use of the N-IPAQ in larger population based research could therefore better elucidate the specific built environment characteristics that foster or hinder physical activity.
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    Neighbourhood Built Characteristics and their Associations with Health-related Fitness in Adults
    (2024-07-24) Frehlich, Levi Colt; McCormack, Gavin Robert; McCormack, Gavin Robert; Chowdhury, Tanvir Turin; Doyle-Baker, Patricia Katherine; Salvo, Deborah; Dogra, Shilpa
    Health-related fitness is an important marker of overall health, linked to lower morbidity and mortality. Consistently, evidence associates the neighbourhood built environment with physical activity and with health outcomes. However, sparse evidence links the neighbourhood built environment and health-related fitness. Existing studies typically focussed on cardiorespiratory or morphological fitness, yet health-related fitness is multidimensional. It remains unclear whether neighbourhood built environments that support physical activity also promote or enhance health-related fitness. Evidence suggests there are sex differences in associations between the neighbourhood built environment and physical activity. Therefore, this thesis elucidates the associations between the neighbourhood built environment and components of health-related fitness among urban-dwelling adults stratified on sex. Our systematic review found the neighbourhood built environment was associated with health-related fitness in adults and that in some cases, these associations were independent of physical activity. A secondary analysis of national data found neighbourhood walkability was positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness but negatively associated with muscular strength, while controlling for accelerometer-measured physical activity. This was followed by a secondary analysis of provincial data associated neighbourhood built characteristics (walkability and greenness) which included muscular strength and body composition, independent of self-reported physical activity and sedentary behaviour. This study found that neighbourhood walkability may support cardiorespiratory and morphological fitness, whereas neighbourhood greenness may positively impact muscular fitness. Relationships between the neighbourhood built environment and health-related fitness were similar for males and females. In summary, neighbourhood built environments that support physical activity might also promote health-related fitness.