Correlates of bike share use and its association with weight status at an urban university.

BACKGROUND: Research on the influences on bike share use and potential favorable relationships between use and obesity is limited, particularly in the U.S. context. Therefore, the aims of this exploratory study were to examine correlates of awareness and use of Boston's Bluebikes bike share system and assess the association between use and weight status. METHODS: Students, faculty, and staff (n = 256) at a public urban university completed an online survey that assessed sociodemographic, behavioral, and physical activity characteristics, Bluebikes awareness, and use of Bluebikes and personal bikes. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated to examine associations between sociodemographic and behavioral factors and bike share awareness and use; and between use and overweight/obesity status. RESULTS: Respondents were mostly students (72.2%), female (69.1%), White (62.1%), and the mean age was 32.4±13.8 years. The percentage of respondents classified as aware of Bluebikes was 33.6% with only 12.9% reporting any use of the system. Living in a community where bike share stations were located (odds ratio (OR) = 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10, 3.67), personal bike ownership (OR = 2.27, 95% CI:1.27, 4.45), and not exclusively commuting to campus via car (OR = 3.19, 95% CI:1.63, 6.22) had significant positive associations with awareness. Living in a bike share community (OR = 2.34; 95% CI:1.04, 5.27) and personal bike ownership (OR = 3.09; 95% CI:1.27, 7.52) were positively associated with bike share use. Any reported use of Bluebikes was associated with 60% lower odds of being overweight/obese (OR = 0.40; 95% CI:0.17, 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Several environmental and behavioral variables, including access to stations and personal bicycle ownership, were significantly associated with Bluebikes awareness and use. Findings also suggest a potential benefit to bike share users in terms of maintaining a healthy weight, though further longitudinal studies are needed to rule out the possibility that more active and leaner individuals tend to use bike share more frequently.

Age, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity Associations between Fat Mass and Lean Mass with Bone Mineral Density: NHANES Data.

Rising rates of obesity and osteoporosis have public health implications; hence, understanding the relationships between body composition (fat mass (FM) and lean mass (LM)) and bone mineral density (BMD) is important. The purpose of this study is to investigate these associations in a large representative sample. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants (n = 1717, age 44.1 ± 14.2 years) who had complete dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (total BMD g/cm2, FM kg, and LM kg) and covariate data. Hierarchical linear regression models were fitted, controlling for demographic and behavioral covariates. Stratum-specific models were fitted by race, sex, and age group. Significant negative associations were found for FM and BMD (ß = -0.003) and significant positive associations for LM and BMD (ß = 0.007). Stratum-specific analyses by race were consistent between groups, while variations in negative association magnitudes were seen in FM for sex (males ß = -0.005 vs. females ß = -0.002) and age (under 45 years of age ß = -0.005 vs. 45 years and older ß = -0.002). Consistent positive linear associations in total and stratum-specified models between LM and BMD could suggest a potential mechanical influence on bone health. The biological mechanisms driving the magnitude variations between FM and BMD by sex and age require more investigation.

Socioecological Factors Associated with an Urban Exercise Prescription Program for Under-Resourced Women: A Mixed Methods Community-Engaged Research Project.

One strategy to promote physical activity (PA) is for health care providers to give exercise prescriptions (ExRx) that refer to community-based facilities. However, facilitators and barriers specific to urban programs in the US for under-resourced women are unknown. Thus the purpose of this formative research was to explore ExRx barriers and facilitators specific to US under-resourced women to inform future intervention targets and strategies. This mixed-methods community-engaged research was conducted in partnership with an urban women's only wellness center that exchanged ExRx for free access (1-3 months). Qualitative semi-structured interviews and validated quantitative questionnaires (SF-12, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Physical Activity Self-Efficacy, Physical Activity Stage of Change, and Barriers to Physical Activity, Social Support for Exercise, and Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale) were administered by phone and guided by the socio-ecological model. ExRx utilization was defined as number visits/week divided by membership duration. Means and percentages were compared between ≥1 visit/week vs. <1 visit/week with t-tests and chi-square, respectively. Women (n = 30) were 74% Black, 21-78 years of age, 50% had ≤ high school diploma, and 69% had household incomes ≤45,000/year. Women with ≥1 visit/week (n = 10; 33%) reported more education and higher daily activity, motivation, number of family CVD risk factors and family history of dyslipidemia compared with <1 visit/week. Facilitators among women with ≥1 visit/week were "readiness" and "right timing" for ExRx utilization. Barriers among women with <1 visit/week (n = 20; 67%) were "mismatched expectations" and "competing priorities". Common themes among all women were "sense of community" and "ease of location". ExRx utilization at an US urban wellness center may be dependent on a combination of multi-level factors including motivation, confidence, peer support, location and ease of access in under-sourced women. Additional resources may be needed to address mental and/or physical health status in additional to physical activity specific programming.

Factorial Invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale among Senior Women in the Nurses' Health Study Cohort.

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS-A) across subgroups based on demographic, health-related, behavioral, and environmental characteristics among Nurses' Health Study participants (N = 2,919; age M = 73.0, SD = 6.9 years) living in California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. A series of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate increasingly restrictive hypotheses of factorial invariance. Factorial invariance was supported across age, walking limitations, and neighborhood walking. Only partial scalar invariance was supported across state residence and neighborhood population density. This evidence provides support for using the NEWS-A with older women of different ages, who have different degrees of walking limitations, and who engage in different amounts of neighborhood walking. Partial scalar invariance suggests that researchers should be cautious when using the NEWS-A to compare older adults living in different states and neighborhoods with different levels of population density.

Accelerometer and GPS Data to Analyze Built Environments and Physical Activity.

Purpose: Most built environment studies have quantified characteristics of the areas around participants' homes. However, the environmental exposures for physical activity (PA) are spatially dynamic rather than static. Thus, merged accelerometer and global positioning system (GPS) data were utilized to estimate associations between the built environment and PA among adults. Methods: Participants (N = 142) were recruited on trails in Massachusetts and wore an accelerometer and GPS unit for 1-4 days. Two binary outcomes were created: moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA vs. light PA-to-sedentary); and light-to-vigorous PA (LVPA vs. sedentary). Five built environment variables were created within 50-meter buffers around GPS points: population density, street density, land use mix (LUM), greenness, and walkability index. Generalized linear mixed models were fit to examine associations between environmental variables and both outcomes, adjusting for demographic covariates. Results: Overall, in the fully adjusted models, greenness was positively associated with MVPA and LVPA (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 1.30 and 1.25, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.41, respectively). In contrast, street density and LUM were negatively associated with MVPA (ORs = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.67, 0.71 and 0.87, 95% CI = 0.78, 0.97, respectively) and LVPA (ORs = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.77, 0.81 and 0.81, 95% CI = 0.74, 0.90, respectively). Negative associations of population density and walkability with both outcomes reached statistical significance, yet the effect sizes were small. Conclusions: Concurrent monitoring of activity with accelerometers and GPS units allowed us to investigate relationships between objectively measured built environment around GPS points and minute-by-minute PA. Negative relationships between street density and LUM and PA contrast evidence from most built environment studies in adults. However, direct comparisons should be made with caution since most previous studies have focused on spatially fixed buffers around home locations, rather than the precise locations where PA occurs.

Associations between Walk Score and objective measures of physical activity in urban overweight and obese women.

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between the Walk Score and physical activity in young, overweight/obese urban women. Project Health included 45 White or African American women (BMI 31.5±3.9 kg/m2; age 26.5±4.6 years; 62% African American) living in the Boston area. An accelerometer estimated steps/day and mins/day in light physical activity (100-2019 counts-per-minute) and moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity (≥2020 cpm). Walk Score was used to estimate the walkability of home address by analyzing proximity to nearby amenities. General linear regression models estimated associations between total Walk Score and physical activity (light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity, steps, total activity counts, METs), adjusting for body mass index, age, race/ethnicity, seasonality, wear time, employment and student status. For physical activity variables that had significant associations with Walk Score (steps/day and steps/min), regression models were estimated for Walk Score sub-scores (parks, grocery, errands, shopping, dining/drinking, culture/entertainment and schools). Logistic regression models estimated the odds of meeting the guidelines for steps (≥10,000/day) and moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity (≥150mins MVPA/week) based on Walk Score. Participants had a Walk Score of 63.9±26.4, took 14,143±3,934 steps/day, and spent 206.2±66.0 mins/day in light physical activity and 46.7±17.5 mins/day in moderate-to-vigorous- physical activity. Walk Score was significantly and positively associated with steps/day (ß = 51.4, p = 0.01) and steps/min (ß = 0.06, p = 0.009) but was not associated with mins/day of light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity, total activity counts or METs. Parks, grocery, errands, shopping, dining/drinking, and culture/entertainment Walk Score sub-scores were significantly associated with steps and steps/min (all p<0.05), but not significantly associated for schools. Participants who lived in higher Walk Score neighborhoods were more likely to meet the step guidelines (OR, 95% CI: 1.59, 1.04-2.99) and moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity guidelines (1.63, 1.06-3.02), respectively, per 10-unit increase in Walk Score. These results indicate that living in a more walkable neighborhood may support walking behavior in young, urban-dwelling overweight/obese women and provide further evidence for the expanded use of urban planning and transportation policies to improve the walkability of urban neighborhoods.

Neighborhood walkability and physical activity among older women: Tests of mediation by environmental perceptions and moderation by depressive symptoms.

Features that enhance neighborhood walkability (higher population density, street connectivity and access to destinations) are associated with higher levels of physical activity among older adults. The perceived neighborhood environment appears to mediate associations between the objective built environment and physical activity. The role of depressed mood in these associations is poorly understood. We examined the degree to which depressive symptoms moderated indirect associations between the objective neighborhood environment and physical activity via the perceived neighborhood environment in older women. We analyzed data on 60,133 women (mean age = 73.1 ±â€¯6.7 years) in the U.S. Nurses' Health Study cohort who completed the 2008 questionnaire. Self-reported measures included the Geriatric Depression Scale, perceived presence of recreational facilities, retail destinations, sidewalks, and crime, and participation in recreational physical activity and neighborhood walking. We created an objective walkability index by summing z-scores of intersection and facility counts within 1200-meter residential network buffers and census tract-level population density. We used multiple regression with bootstrap-generated 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (BC CIs) to test for mediation and moderated mediation. Objective walkability was associated with 1.99 times greater odds of neighborhood walking (95% BC CI = 1.92, 2.06) and 1.38 times greater odds of meeting physical activity recommendations (95% BC CI = 1.34, 1.43) via the perceived neighborhood environment. These indirect associations were weaker among women with higher depressive symptom scores. Positive associations between objective neighborhood walkability and physical activities such as walking among older women may be strengthened with a reduction in their depressive symptoms.

Accelerometer and GPS Analysis of Trail Use and Associations With Physical Activity.

BACKGROUND: Concurrent use of accelerometers and global positioning system (GPS) data can be used to quantify physical activity (PA) occurring on trails. This study examined associations of trail use with PA and sedentary behavior (SB) and quantified on trail PA using a combination of accelerometer and GPS data. METHODS: Adults (N = 142) wore accelerometer and GPS units for 1-4 days. Trail use was defined as a minimum of 2 consecutive minutes occurring on a trail, based on GPS data. We examined associations between trail use and PA and SB. On trail minutes of light-intensity, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity PA, and SB were quantified in 2 ways, using accelerometer counts only and with a combination of GPS speed and accelerometer data. RESULTS: Trail use was positively associated with total PA, moderate-intensity PA, and light-intensity PA (P < .05). On trail vigorous-intensity PA minutes were 346% higher when classified with the combination versus accelerometer only. Light-intensity PA, moderate-intensity PA, and SB minutes were 15%, 91%, and 85% lower with the combination, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Adult trail users accumulated more PA on trail use days than on nontrail use days, indicating the importance of these facilities for supporting regular PA. The combination of GPS and accelerometer data for quantifying on trail activity may be more accurate than accelerometer data alone and is useful for classifying intensity of activities such as bicycling.

The observed and perceived neighborhood environment and physical activity among urban-dwelling adults: The moderating role of depressive symptoms.

RATIONALE: Physical environmental features of neighborhoods are associated with physical activity, but the influence of mental health factors, such as depression, on these associations is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether the perceived neighborhood environment mediated associations between the observed neighborhood environment and physical activity, and whether these associations were moderated by depressive symptoms. METHODS: Data consisted of systematic social observations of 343 neighborhoods and resident surveys. Participants' (N = 2969) mean age was 41.9 ± 16.2 years, 60.2% were female, and 67.9% were non-White. We conducted multiple linear regression and tests for mediation and moderated mediation. RESULTS: Observed recreation facilities, commercial destinations, physical disorder, and physical deterioration were indirectly associated with walking via perceived neighborhood environment variables. Observed recreation facilities was indirectly and positively associated with leisure-time physical activity via perceived park access, and indirectly and inversely associated with walking and leisure-time physical activity via perceived traffic danger, but only among participants with low depressive symptom scores. Observed recreation facilities was indirectly and inversely associated, and observed physical disorder and physical deterioration were indirectly and positively associated with walking via perceived disorder, but only among participants with high depressive symptom scores. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms affected the strength and direction of associations between the observed neighborhood environment and physical activity via residents' perceptions.

Direct and Indirect Associations Between the Built Environment and Leisure and Utilitarian Walking in Older Women.

BACKGROUND: The built environment predicts walking in older adults, but the degree to which associations between the objective built environment and walking for different purposes are mediated by environmental perceptions is unknown. PURPOSE: We examined associations between the neighborhood built environment and leisure and utilitarian walking and mediation by the perceived environment among older women. METHODS: Women (N = 2732, M age = 72.8 ± 6.8 years) from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California completed a neighborhood built environment and walking survey. Objective population and intersection density and density of stores and services variables were created within residential buffers. Perceived built environment variables included measures of land use mix, street connectivity, infrastructure for walking, esthetics, traffic safety, and personal safety. Regression and bootstrapping were used to test associations and indirect effects. RESULTS: Objective population, stores/services, and intersection density indirectly predicted leisure and utilitarian walking via perceived land use mix (odds ratios (ORs) = 1.01-1.08, 95 % bias corrected and accelerated confidence intervals do not include 1). Objective density of stores/services directly predicted ≥150 min utilitarian walking (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.22). Perceived land use mix (ORs = 1.16-1.44) and esthetics (ORs = 1.24-1.61) significantly predicted leisure and utilitarian walking, CONCLUSIONS: Perceived built environment mediated associations between objective built environment variables and walking for leisure and utilitarian purposes. Interventions for older adults should take into account how objective built environment characteristics may influence environmental perceptions and walking.

Correlates of Trail Use for Recreation and Transportation on 5 Massachusetts Trails.

BACKGROUND: Promoting use of community trails is a recommended strategy for increasing population levels of physical activity. Correlates of walking and cycling for recreation or transportation differ, though few studies have compared correlates of trail-based physical activity for recreation and transportation purposes. This study examined associations of demographic, social, and perceived built environmental factors with trail use for recreation and transportation and whether associations were moderated by age, gender, and prior trail use. METHODS: Adults (N = 1195) using 1 of 5 trails in Massachusetts responded to an intercept survey. We used multiple linear and logistic regression models to examine associations with trail use. RESULTS: Respondents' mean age was 44.9 years (standard deviation = 12.5), 55.3% were female, and 82.0% were white. Age (longer-term users only), trail use with others, travel time to the trail, and trail design were significantly associated with use for recreation (P < .05). Age, gender, trail safety (longer-term users only), travel time to the trail, trail design (younger users only), and trail beauty were associated with use for transportation (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Some common correlates were found for recreational and transportation trail use, whereas some variables were uniquely associated with use for 1 purpose. Tailored strategies are suggested to promote trail use for recreation and transportation.

Youth perceptions of how neighborhood physical environment and peers affect physical activity: a focus group study.

OBJECTIVE: There is need for a youth-informed conceptualization of how environmental and social neighborhood contexts influence physical activity. We assessed youths' perceptions of their neighborhood physical and peer environments as affecting physical activity. METHODS: Thirty-three students (20 girls; ages 12-14 years) participated in focus groups about the physical environment and peers within their neighborhoods, and their understanding of how they affect physical activity. RESULTS: Inductive analysis identified themes of access (e.g., to equipment); aesthetics; physical and social safety; peer proximity and behavior (e.g., bullying); adult support or interference; and adult boundary setting. Participants also identified interconnections among themes, such as traffic shaping parent boundary setting and, in turn, access to physical spaces and peers. CONCLUSIONS: Young adolescents view neighborhoods in ways similar to and different from adults. Examining physical and social environments in tandem, while mindful of how adults shape and youth perceive these environments, may enhance understanding of youth physical activity behavior.

Spatial clustering of physical activity and obesity in relation to built environment factors among older women in three U.S. states.

BACKGROUND: Identifying spatial clusters of chronic diseases has been conducted over the past several decades. More recently these approaches have been applied to physical activity and obesity. However, few studies have investigated built environment characteristics in relation to these spatial clusters. This study's aims were to detect spatial clusters of physical activity and obesity, examine whether the geographic distribution of covariates affects clusters, and compare built environment characteristics inside and outside clusters. METHODS: In 2004, Nurses' Health Study participants from California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania completed survey items on physical activity (N = 22,599) and weight-status (N = 19,448). The spatial scan statistic was utilized to detect spatial clustering of higher and lower likelihood of obesity and meeting physical activity recommendations via walking. Clustering analyses and tests that adjusted for socio-demographic and health-related variables were conducted. Neighborhood built environment characteristics for participants inside and outside spatial clusters were compared. RESULTS: Seven clusters of physical activity were identified in California and Massachusetts. Two clusters of obesity were identified in Pennsylvania. Overall, adjusting for socio-demographic and health-related covariates had little effect on the size or location of clusters in the three states with a few exceptions. For instance, adjusting for husband's education fully accounted for physical activity clusters in California. In California and Massachusetts, population density, intersection density, and diversity and density of facilities in two higher physical activity clusters were significantly greater than in neighborhoods outside of clusters. In contrast, in two other higher physical activity clusters in California and Massachusetts, population density, diversity of facilities, and density of facilities were significantly lower than in areas outside of clusters. In Pennsylvania, population density, intersection density, diversity of facilities, and certain types of facility density inside obesity clusters were significantly lower compared to areas outside the clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Spatial clustering techniques can identify high and low risk areas for physical activity and obesity. Although covariates significantly differed inside and outside the clusters, patterns of differences were mostly inconsistent. The findings from these spatial analyses could eventually facilitate the design and implementation of more resource-efficient, geographically targeted interventions for both physical activity and obesity.

Factorial validity of an abbreviated neighborhood environment walkability scale for seniors in the Nurses' Health Study.

BACKGROUND: Using validated measures of individuals' perceptions of their neighborhood built environment is important for accurately estimating effects on physical activity. However, no studies to date have examined the factorial validity of a measure of perceived neighborhood environment among older adults in the United States. The purpose of this measurement study was to test the factorial validity of a version of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS-A) modified for seniors in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). FINDINGS: A random sample of 2,920 female nurses (mean age = 73 ± 7 years) in the NHS cohort from California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania completed a 36-item modified NEWS-A for seniors. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test measurement models for both the modified NEWS-A for seniors and the original NEWS-A. Internal consistency within factors was examined using Cronbach's alpha. The hypothesized 7-factor measurement model was a poor fit for the modified NEWS-A for seniors. Overall, the best-fitting measurement model was the original 6-factor solution to the NEWS-A. Factors were correlated and internally consistent. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided support for the construct validity of the original NEWS-A for assessing perceptions of neighborhood environments in older women in the United States.

Relationships between the built environment and walking and weight status among older women in three U.S. States.

There are few studies of built environment associations with physical activity and weight status among older women in large geographic areas that use individual residential buffers to define environmental exposures. Among 23,434 women (70.0 ± 6.9 yr; range = 57-85) in 3 states, relationships between objective built environment variables and meeting physical activity recommendations via walking and weight status were examined. Differences in associations by population density and state were explored in stratified models. Population density (odds ratio [OR] =1.04 [1.02, 1.07]), intersection density (ORs = 1.18-1.28), and facility density (ORs = 1.01-1.53) were positively associated with walking. Density of physical activity facilities was inversely associated with overweight/obesity (OR = 0.69 [0.49, 0.96]). The strongest associations between facility density variables and both outcomes were found among women from higher population density areas. There was no clear pattern of differences in associations across states. Among older women, relationships between accessible facilities and walking may be most important in more densely populated settings.

Urban sprawl, physical activity, and body mass index: Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the association between the county sprawl index, a measure of residential density and street accessibility, and physical activity and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: We conducted a multilevel cross-sectional analysis in a sample of Nurses' Health Study participants living throughout the United States in 2000 to 2001 (n = 136 592). RESULTS: In analyses adjusted for age, smoking status, race, and husband's education, a 1-SD (25.7) increase in the county sprawl index (indicating a denser, more compact county) was associated with a 0.13 kilograms per meters squared (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.18, -0.07) lower BMI and 0.41 (95% CI = 0.17, 0.65) more metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per week of total physical activity, 0.26 (95% CI = 0.19, 0.33) more MET hours per week of walking, and 0.47 (95% CI = 0.34, 0.59) more MET hours per week of walking, bicycling, jogging, and running. We detected potential effect modification for age, previous disease status, husband's education level (a proxy for socioeconomic status), and race. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that living in a dense, compact county may be conducive to higher levels of physical activity and lower BMI in women.

Virtual and actual: relative accuracy of on-site and web-based instruments in auditing the environment for physical activity.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relative accuracy and usefulness of web tools in evaluating and measuring street-scale built environment characteristics. METHODS: A well-known audit tool was used to evaluate 84 street segments at the urban edge of metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts, using on-site visits and three web-based tools. The assessments were compared to evaluate their relative accuracy and usefulness. RESULTS: Web-based audits, based-on Google Maps, Google Street View, and MS Visual Oblique, tend to strongly agree with on-site audits on land-use and transportation characteristics (e.g., types of buildings, commercial destinations, and streets). However, the two approaches to conducting audits (web versus on-site) tend to agree only weakly on fine-grain, temporal, and qualitative environmental elements. Among the web tools used, auditors rated MS Visual Oblique as the most valuable. Yet Street View tends to be rated as the most useful in measuring fine-grain features, such as levelness and condition of sidewalks. CONCLUSION: While web-based tools do not offer a perfect substitute for on-site audits, they allow for preliminary audits to be performed accurately from remote locations, potentially saving time and cost and increasing the effectiveness of subsequent on-site visits.

Development and psychometric testing of the Dogs and WalkinG Survey (DAWGS).

PURPOSE: Dog owners represent 40% of the population, a promising audience to increase population levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of a new instrument to assess social-cognitive theory constructs related to dog walking. METHOD: Dog owners (N = 431) completed the Dogs and WalkinG Survey (DAWGS). Survey items assessed dog-walking behaviors and self-efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, and outcome expectancies for dog walking. Test-retest reliability was assessed among 252 (58%) survey respondents who completed the survey twice. Factorial validity and factorial invariance by age and walking level were tested using confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: DAWGS items demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability (p = .39-.79; k = .41-.89). Acceptable model fit was found for all subscales. All subscales were invariant by age and walking level, except self-efficacy, which showed mixed evidence of invariance. CONCLUSIONS: The DAWGS is a psychometrically sound instrument for examining individual and interpersonal correlates of dog walking.