Active and sedentary travel in small- to medium-scale municipal areas: analysis focusing on area of residence and age

Objective: We examined the relationships of residential areas, age, and their interaction with active and sedentary travel in a region consisting of small- to medium-scale municipal areas. <br>Methods: We used data from adults in the third Higashi-Surugawan metropolitan area travel survey in December 2015 and February 2016. The outcomes were either active travel (≥ 30 min/day of walking and cycling and 0 min/day of car use) or sedentary travel (0 min/day of walking and cycling and ≥ 60 min/day of car use). The exposure categories were residential areas (regional core cities [reference]/neighboring cities), age group (young [reference], 20–44 years; middle-aged, 45–64 years; early-older adults, 65–74 years; late-older adults, 75–84 years), or their interaction terms. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine their associations. <br>Results: Active and sedentary travel constituted 11.2% and 27.0%, respectively, in the analytical sample (n=25,930). Neighborhood cities had significantly lower odds ratios of active travel in the comparisons of the same sex and age group. Middle-aged, early- and late-older men and middle-aged women had significantly lower odds ratios of active travel in the comparisons within the same residential area. Proportion of sedentary travel did not significantly differ by residential region, except for in early-older women, while within-region comparisons showed significantly lower odds ratios of sedentary travel in late-older men and early- and late-older women in both residential regions. No significant interactions were found in either case. <br>Conclusion: We found disparities in transport-related physical activity in each age group due to differences in residential areas within small- to medium-scale municipalities.