| Physical inactivity is one of the most important public health issues in the United States and internationally, due to its contribution to premature mortality and economic costs (e.g., medical costs, lost productivity). Increasingly, links are being identified between various elements of the physical or “built” environment and physical activity. The built environment—the physical form of communities—includes land use patterns (the location of activities across space), large- and small-scale built and natural features (e.g., architectural details, quality of landscaping), and the transportation system (the facilities and services that link one location to another). Together, these elements shape access to opportunities for physical activity. In this presentation, Dr. Ross Brownson, Professor at Washington University in St. Louis and Co-Director of the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, provides an overview on the influence of the built environment on physical inactivity and health, policy influences, the state of the science in measuring built environment attributes, a research agenda on the topic, and future directions. The presentation will focus primarily on measures of the physical environment, but will also include brief mention of other contextual variables that are closely intertwined (e.g., crime, social environment).
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