The association of perceived and objective built environment features with physical activity, adiposity and blood glucose

Physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes are major public health problems and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, a number one cause of death globally. There is growing evidence to link built environment (BE) with physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes. However, published studies mostly focused on the macro-environment; perceived or objective BE measures; and self-reported rather than objectively assessed adiposity. There is also a lack of investigation of metabolic risk factors and lack of consideration for distinct demographic and socio-economic groups. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to explore the associations of both perceived and objective BE measures with distinct domains of physical activity (PA), objectively measured adiposity and fasting blood glucose (FBG); and to investigate the differences in environmental perceptions and the agreement between perceived and objective BE features based on gender, income level and ethnicity. Adults (n=356) between the ages of 35 and 70 years, from high- (median household income >$75,000) and low-income (