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Background Although the scientific community has acknowledged modest improvements can be made to weight status and obesogenic behaviors (i.e., physical activity, sedentary/screen time, diet, and sleep) during the school year, studies suggests improvements are erased as elementary-age children are released to summer vacation. Emerging evidence shows children return to school after summer vacation displaying accelerated weight gain compared to the weight gained occurring during the school year. Understanding how summer days differ from when children are in school is, therefore, essential. Discussion There is limited evidence on the etiology of accelerated weight gain during summer, with few studies comparing obesogenic behaviors on the same children during school and summer. For many children, summer days may be analogous to weekend days throughout the school year. Weekend days are often limited in consistent and formal structure, and thus differ from school days where segmented, pre-planned, restrictive, and compulsory components exist that shape obesogenic behaviors. The authors hypothesize that obesogenic behaviors are beneficially regulated when children are exposed to a structured day (i.e., school weekday) compared to what commonly occurs during summer. This is referred to as the ‘ Structured Days Hypothesis’ (SDH). To illustrate how the SDH operates, this study examines empirical data that compares weekend day (less-structured) versus weekday (structured) obesogenic behaviors in U.S. elementary school-aged children. From 190 studies, 155 (~80%) demonstrate elementary-aged children’s obesogenic behaviors are more unfavorable during weekend days compared to weekdays. Conclusion In light of the SDH, consistent evidence demonstrates the structured environment of weekdays may help to protect children by regulating obesogenic behaviors, most likely through compulsory physical activity opportunities, restricting caloric intake, reducing screen time occasions, and regulating sleep schedules. Summer is emerging as the critical period where childhood obesity prevention efforts need to be focused. The SDH can help researchers understand the drivers of obesogenic behaviors during summer and lead to innovative intervention development.

BACKGROUND: Parks are valuable resources for physical activity (PA) given their widespread availability and low cost to maintain and use. Both proximity to parks and the availability of particular features are important correlates of PA. However, few studies have explored multiple measures of proximity simultaneously or the specific facilities associated with park use and park-based PA among adults, let alone differences across socio-demographic characteristics. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between park proximity and park facilities and adults’ park use and park-based PA, while also exploring differences by gender, age, race, and income. METHODS: Data on monthly park use and weekly amount of PA undertaken in parks were collected via a mail survey of adults from randomly-selected households (n = 893) in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) in 2010–2011. Three measures of park proximity were calculated within 1 mile of participating households: distance to the closest park, number of parks, and total park area. All parks in KCMO were audited using the Community Park Audit Tool to determine the availability of 14 park facilities within 1 mile of each participant (e.g., trail, playground, tennis court). Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between each of park use and park-based PA and 1) three measures of park proximity, and 2) the availability of 14 park facilities within 1 mile of participants. Separate analyses were conducted by gender, age, race, and income, while controlling for all socio-demographic characteristics and BMI. RESULTS: Across all sub-samples, distance to the closest park was not significantly related to either park use or park-based PA. However, numerous significant associations were found for the relationship of number of parks and amount of park space within 1 mile with both outcomes. As well, diverse facilities were associated with park use and park-based PA. For both park proximity and facilities, the significant relationships varied widely across gender, age, race, and income groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both park proximity and park facilities are related to park use and park-based PA. Understanding how such associations vary across demographic groups is important in planning for activity-friendly parks that are responsive to the needs of neighborhood residents.

Global positioning systems (GPS) have been commonly used in combination with accelerometer devices to measure and spatially track people’s active and sedentary behaviour in outdoor environments, such as neighbourhoods and cities.6 Nevertheless, GPS signals have limited accuracy or can be disrupted within indoor environments, resulting in less precise location data. GeoAI techniques aim to integrate innovations in spatial sciences with AI, particularly deep learning.9 The joint application of IPS and GeoAI would enable precise location data of individuals within the workplace while using the power of spatial analysis. Once a building layout has been established, making substantial alterations to it becomes challenging or, in some cases, impossible. [...]designing (and, if feasible, retrofitting) building interiors to promote health is imperative, but it is still unclear which workplace layouts are most supportive of workers’ active behaviours. Build Environ 2021; 187: 107426. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107426 6 Katapally TR, Bhawra J, Patel P. A systematic review of the evolution of GPS use in active living research: a state of the evidence for research, policy, and practice.

Background Parks are key community assets for physical activity, but some evidence suggests these resources are not equitably distributed. Purpose This study examined disparities by income and race/ethnicity in the availability, features, and quality of parks across Kansas City, Missouri. Methods All parks and census tracts (CTs) were mapped using geographical information systems, and park features and quality were determined via audits. Multivariate analyses of covariance analyzed differences in park availability, features, and quality across low-, medium-, and high-income and race/ethnicity CT tertiles. Results Low-income CTs contained significantly more parks, but also had fewer parks with playgrounds and more quality concerns per park. High minority CTs had more parks with basketball courts, but fewer parks with trails. Medium-income CTs contained more aesthetic features per park. Conclusions Future research should examine policies that contribute to and that might rectify disparities in park features and quality, especially in low-income and high minority areas.

Limited research has explored how specific elements of physical and social environments influence mental health indicators such as perceived stress, or whether such associations are moderated by gender. This study examined the relationship between selected neighborhood characteristics and perceived stress levels within a primarily low‐income, older, African‐American population in a mid‐sized city in the Southeastern U.S. Residents (n = 394; mean age=55.3 years, 70.9% female, 89.3% African American) from eight historically disadvantaged neighborhoods completed surveys measuring perceptions of neighborhood safety, social cohesion, aesthetics, and stress. Multivariate linear regression models examined the association between each of the three neighborhood characteristics and perceived stress. Greater perceived safety, improved neighborhood aesthetics, and social cohesion were significantly associated with lower perceived stress. These associations were not moderated by gender. These findings suggest that improving social attributes of neighborhoods may have positive impacts on stress and related benefits for population health. Future research should examine how neighborhood characteristics influence stress over time.

Objectives. We studied whether park size, number of features in the park, and distance to a park from participants’ homes were related to a park being used for physical activity. Methods. We collected observational data on 28 specific features from 33 parks. Adult residents in surrounding areas (n=380) completed 7-day physical activity logs that included the location of their activities. We used logistic regression to examine the relative importance of park size, features, and distance to participants’ homes in predicting whether a park was used for physical activity, with control for perceived neighborhood safety and aesthetics. Results. Parks with more features were more likely to be used for physical activity; size and distance were not significant predictors. Park facilities were more important than were park amenities. Of the park facilities, trails had the strongest relationship with park use for physical activity. Conclusions. Specific park features may have significant implications for park-based physical activity. Future research should explore these factors in diverse neighborhoods and diverse parks among both younger and older populations.

Perceptions of the neighbourhood environment can play an important role in promoting public health, yet modifying perceptions is challenging. Adjusting the built environment may be a pathway to influence perceptions. In addition to the physical environment, intrapersonal factors may shape perceptions. This study analysed data from several Japanese major cities to explore the association between objective and perceived neighbourhood environment attributes, stratified by age and gender. Perceived neighbourhood environment measures were adapted from established scales, while objective measures were derived from participants’ geographic address data. Multivariate linear regression was employed to assess these associations. All objective measures were positively associated with overall neighbourhood environment perception, and destination diversity presented the strongest association. Perceptions among those 65–69 were more strongly influenced by the physical environments of their neighbourhood, whether positively or negatively. Objective environmental measures have a greater positive impact on perception for females than for males, while males are more negatively affected in terms of perceptions of crime and traffic safety. These findings highlight how objective built environment attributes may shape residents’ perceptions across different demographic groups.

Objectives: To better understand the co-occurrence of smoking and physical inactivity.Methods: A review of 5 databases identified 50 articles reporting empirical relationships between smoking and physical activity (PA).Results: Almost 60% of the articles reported a definitely negative association, but this relationship was often attenuated or reversed among adolescents and males and for moderate (vs vigorous) exercise. Stages of change for smoking and PA were relatively unrelated.Conclusion: Smoking and PA are largely incongruent behaviors. Potential explanations for the observed relationships are described. These ranged from physiological (eg, lung function) to psychological (eg, depression) to socio-demographic (eg, education) factors.

Background Pet ownership, which has increased over the last decade, can offer owners health benefits. However, relatively few studies have examined the psycho-social benefits of pet ownership, particularly across diverse contexts and types of pets. Existing research is largely Western-focused, and has paid limited attention to the potential interrelationships between pet ownership, pet types, and gender. This study planned to examine associations between various categories of pet ownership and multiple psycho-social benefits in a sample of adults from Japan. Method A cross-sectional design was applied to investigate and analyze pet species and psycho-social health outcomes. Data were collected via an online survey conducted in 21 major Japanese cities during October to November 2020. Four pet ownership categories were analyzed: “non-pet”, “dog”, “other pet”, and “dog and other pet”. Gender-stratified multivariable linear regression models were applied to explore the associations between psycho-social health outcomes and pet ownership categories for both men and women. Results A total of 8,821 participants were included in analysis. The results showed owning both dogs and other pets was associated with higher neighborhood place attachment and social capital for both men and women. For men, owning other pets (excluding dogs) was positively associated with higher neighborhood place attachment and social capital. Dog ownership was also positively associated with social capital, but not neighborhood place attachment, regardless of gender. Conclusions The findings highlight the psycho-social benefits of both single-dog and multi-pet ownership, suggesting their potential for fostering health and social well-being. More research is needed to examine the contributions of specific multi-pet and single-dog ownership and the pathways by which pet ownership contribute to health and well-being.

Background Diverse environmental factors are associated with physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) among youth. However, no study has created a comprehensive obesogenic environment index for children that can be applied at a large geographic scale. The purpose of this study was to describe the development of a childhood obesogenic environment index (COEI) at the county level across the United States. Methods A comprehensive search of review articles ( n  = 20) and input from experts ( n  = 12) were used to identify community-level variables associated with youth PA, HE, or overweight/obesity for potential inclusion in the index. Based on strength of associations in the literature, expert ratings, expertise of team members, and data source availability, 10 key variables were identified – six related to HE (# per 1000 residents for grocery/superstores, farmers markets, fast food restaurants, full-service restaurants, and convenience stores; as well as percentage of births at baby (breastfeeding)-friendly facilities) and four related to PA (percentage of population living close to exercise opportunities, percentage of population < 1 mile from a school, a composite walkability index, and number of violent crimes per 1000 residents). Data for each variable for all counties in the U.S. ( n  = 3142) were collected from publicly available sources. For each variable, all counties were ranked and assigned percentiles ranging from 0 to 100. Positive environmental variables (e.g., grocery stores, exercise opportunities) were reverse scored such that higher values for all variables indicated a more obesogenic environment. Finally, for each county, a total obesogenic environment index score was generated by calculating the average percentile for all 10 variables. Results The average COEI percentile ranged from 24.5–81.0 (M = 50.02,s.d. = 9.01) across US counties and was depicted spatially on a choropleth map. Obesogenic counties were more prevalent (F = 130.43, p  < .0001) in the South region of the U.S. (M = 53.0,s.d. = 8.3) compared to the Northeast (M = 43.2,s.d. = 6.9), Midwest (M = 48.1,s.d. = 8.5), and West (M = 48.4,s.d. = 9.8). When examined by rurality, there were also significant differences (F = 175.86, p  < .0001) between metropolitan (M = 46.5,s.d. = 8.4), micropolitan (M = 50.3,s.d. = 8.1), and rural counties (M = 52.9,s.d. = 8.8) across the U.S. Conclusion The COEI can be applied to benchmark obesogenic environments and identify geographic disparities and intervention targets. Future research can examine associations with obesity and other health outcomes.