Availability and accessibility in physical activity environments
This chapter considers the manner by which the availability and accessibility of resources may be associated with population physical activity levels. We begin by considering the theoretical underpinnings of work that has examined the relationship between the provision of resources and their utilisation, before moving on to discuss the importance of both perceived and objectively measured indicators of accessibility and how they can tell us rather different things about underlying causal processes. We then examine how disparities in the provision, and consequent accessibility, of facilities may be patterned by socio-economic concerns before looking at how this may translate into disparities in use. The chapter concludes by highlighting the importance of utilising the research evidence base for the design of interventions and the development of planning regulations.
In: Obesogenic Environments: complexities, perceptions and objective measures (eds: Lake, A., Alvanides, S., Townsend, T.), Willey-Blackwell