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Background: A city’s planning, design, and construction can have a profound influence on health, specifically on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity, which are often referred to as “diabesity.” This study describes the designs and methods to understand the relationship between food and physical activity environments on diabesity. Materials and Methods: This study was a community-based cross-sectional door-to-door survey conducted as part of a large National Institute of Health and Care Research-funded surveillance project. For this study, two wards in Chennai were selected randomly. In each ward, five community enumeration blocks were selected using systematic random sampling technique. A consecutive sampling approach was used to select the study participants. Two categories of data were collected: (1) health data and (2) built environment (BE) data. Health and lifestyle questionnaires, anthropometric, and biochemical data were collected from all the study participants. For categorizing BE, an online questionnaire was developed using the KoBo toolbox to collect information about food and physical activity environments, as well as geographic locations. Expected Outcome: This study is expected to reveal data on the relationship between food and physical activity environments and diabesity. It will help policy-makers to understand the importance of access to healthy foods and spaces for physical activity in prevention and control of diabesity. It can also enable community-based interventions to improve health outcomes and help urban planners to plan cities that promote active lifestyles for its residents.

A city’s planning, design, and construction can have a profound influence on health, specifically on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity, which are often referred to as “diabesity.” This study describes the designs and methods to understand the relationship between food and physical activity environments on diabesity. Materials and Methods: This study was a community-based cross-sectional door-to-door survey conducted as part of a large National Institute of Health and Care Research-funded surveillance project. For this study, two wards in Chennai were selected randomly. In each ward, five community enumeration blocks were selected using systematic random sampling technique. A consecutive sampling approach was used to select the study participants. Two categories of data were collected: (1) health data and (2) built environment (BE) data. Health and lifestyle questionnaires, anthropometric, and biochemical data were collected from all the study participants. For categorizing BE, an online questionnaire was developed using the KoBo toolbox to collect information about food and physical activity environments, as well as geographic locations. Expected Outcome: This study is expected to reveal data on the relationship between food and physical activity environments and diabesity. It will help policy-makers to understand the importance of access to healthy foods and spaces for physical activity in prevention and control of diabesity. It can also enable community-based interventions to improve health outcomes and help urban planners to plan cities that promote active lifestyles for its residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban parks have been recognized as important physical activity (PA) places for senior city residents. This research aimed to investigate PA areas in parks and their use by the elderly in a Chinese (Hong Kong) and a German city (Leipzig). PA areas and the PA executed by the elderly were observed in six parks in each city. Additionally, observers also surveyed overall PA, park-based PA and park accessibility of the active elderly in Hong Kong (HK) (n = 317, Mean age = 69.96, SD = 6.81), and in Leipzig (L) (n = 311, Mean age = 72.06, SD = 6.78) respectively. Results demonstrated that trails were the most often used PA areas by the elderly, where the elderly walk (in both cities) or cycle (only in L). Fitness stations and secure areas were more often found in HK parks, however, more lawn areas were found in L parks, making structured exercise possible. Sports fields were often used by HK elderly for sports and fitness exercising, but were rarely used by L elderly. Playgrounds were more often used by the HK elderly. In both cities, more males than female elderly were active and more often with low intensity. The elderly preferred accessing PA areas in parks by walking or cycling. Compared with L, the urban parks in HK were the primary locations for the elderly to engage in PA. Park planners should consider optimizing the functioning of PA areas to facilitate elderly physical activity in parks thus enhancing the health status of the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]