Association Between Neighborhood Environment And Physical Activity Among Elementary And Junior High School Students Across Japan

In recent years, an increasing number of studies have focused on the neighborhood environment as a potential factor influencing physical activity. PURPOSE: This study aimed to clarify the association between neighborhood environments and physical activity among elementary and junior high school students across Japan. METHODS: Among the respondents to the 2023 national survey on physical fitness, motor ability, and exercise habits—a questionnaire survey conducted with all fifth and eighth graders across Japan—those who attended municipal schools and had no missing data for the variables used in the study were included in the analysis. The total weekly physical activity time was calculated based on the questionnaire survey. Using the geographic information system, we calculated eleven types of environmental factors within the school district. We conducted a multilevel linear regression analysis with physical activity time as the objective variable, neighborhood environment variables as the explanatory variables, and gender and percent overweight as covariates. RESULTS: A total of 933,930 fifth graders (18,144 schools) and 786,214 eighth graders (8,859 schools) were included in the analysis. In fifth graders, the density of parks (B = 2.398; adjusted p < 0.001), green covering ratio (B = 20.845; adjusted p = 0.008), population density (B = 0.001; adjusted p < 0.001), and areal deprivation index (ADI) (B = 11.914; adjusted p < 0.001) were significantly positively associated with physical activity time. In eighth graders, the average temperature (B = 3.117; adjusted p < 0.001) and the density of parks (B = 1.968; adjusted p = 0.003) were significantly positively associated with physical activity time. Total precipitation (B = -0.024; adjusted p < 0.001), density of public transportation (B = -1.836; adjusted p < 0.001), green covering ratio (B = -63.969; adjusted p < 0.001), and population density (B = -0.003; adjusted p < 0.001) were significantly negatively associated with physical activity time. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that neighborhood natural, built, and socio-economic environments play an important role in maintaining and promoting physical activity among Japanese children. In particular, neighborhood parks appear to have a positive effect on children's physical activity.