WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – New public health research by a Purdue University professor could help shed light on how the environment can influence physical activity, especially when it comes to where people live.
“We are not just measuring physical activity, but we are linking it to a location using small activity monitors and global positioning system devices,” said Philip J. Troped, an assistant professor of health and kinesiology. “A better understanding of how neighborhood environments influence people’s behaviors could help us to get more people to be physically active and healthy.”
For example, a better understanding of where physical activity occurs and the characteristics of those areas could be used to develop more tailored intervention programs or messages to encourage physical activity at those locations, as well as to shape policy for urban planning and transportation systems.