Motivated to walk but nowhere to walk to: Differential effect of a mass media campaign by mix of local destinations

Abstract

Objective: Built environment attributes are associated with walking but little is known about how the impact of walking campaigns varies across different environments. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of a campaign on changes in walking between respondents with a high versus low mix of local destinations. Methods: Pre- and post-campaign data from a quasi-experimental study were used to compare changes in walking for residents aged 40–65 with high and low destination mix in a West Virginia community campaign (March–May 2005). Results: Overall samples consisted of 777 intervention community respondents and 388 comparison community respondents with pre- and post-campaign data. Among insufficiently active intervention respondents, those with high destination mix increased their walking by 0.64 days more than those with low mix (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed among the comparison community. Conclusion: The walking response to campaigns in those insufficiently active may be influenced by neighborhood attributes.

Keywords

• Mass media
• Intervention studies
• Environment
• Motor activity
• Walking