Scholte, D.P. (2020) An activity-friendly environment for all? Research into the impact of neighbourhood characteristics on physical activity patterns of families with low socioeconomic status in the city of Groningen. Master thesis.
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An activity-friendly environment for all - Master thesis SSP D.P. Scholte..pdf Download (24MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Obesity and physical inactivity are growing issues, especially among children since childhood obesity is likely to have lifelong consequences. Striking is that people with lower education or that live in a poor neighbourhood (low socioeconomic status) are often more physically inactive and more overweight than people with high SES. Despite growing political attention for these issue(s), the problem keeps growing and becomes apparent in a growing health inequality between high and low socioeconomic groups. However, it is not only individual or socioeconomic factors that influence one’s physical activity patterns: neighbourhood characteristics (e.g. green and the availability of facilities) also play a role in this. For children, the role and behaviour of their parents are of importance as well. Spatial planning and design can play a major role in countering this trend, as this field is responsible for shaping the living environment. This thesis studies the impact of neighbourhood characteristics on physical activity patterns of families with low SES. To compare neighbourhoods regarding their physical and social characteristics, 25 low-SES neighbourhoods in the city of Groningen were selected and analysed, with a distinction between neighbourhoods with an above-average and below-average physical activity score. Outcomes show that the neighbourhoods are very diverse. However, only eight out of thirty variables turned out significantly associated with PA behaviour. As five of these are satisfaction scores, this indicates that it is not only physical or social characteristics of the environment that are important for people to become physically active. Even more important turned out to be people’s own opinions about their environment. This has theoretical as well as practical implications.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Society, Sustainability and Planning (MSc Socio-spatial Planning) |
| Supervisor: | Wind, B.J. |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Jul 2020 13:14 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Jul 2020 13:14 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3273 |
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