Did the built environment attenuate reductions in leisure walking during COVID-19? A quasi-panel study

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic decreased physical activity due to isolation, travel restrictions, and facility closure. This meant that walking became one of the key options for individuals to support their physical well-being and mental health, among other strategies such as virtual social interactions, meditation, and engaging in new hobbies. This study examines changes in walking and jogging behaviour during the early years of the pandemic, and how such changes were affected by the built environment characteristics of Melbourne neighbourhoods over the period of lockdowns in 2020. We hypothesised that during times of restricted movements, the built environment would have a larger impact on walking for health and leisure. Methods: The study draws from the ‘C-19 Long Term Transport Impact Study’, an online questionnaire of people living in Melbourne in mid-2020. The wider study explored a range of travel changes during COVID; the present study focuses on a sample size of 1,341 respondents who self-reported walking or jogging for recreation or fitness before COVID, during Melbourne's first lockdown, and during Melbourne's second lockdown. Results: Self-reported leisure walking/jogging decreased during the COVID-19 restrictions. Our hypothesis was not supported: the influence of the built environment was no greater during lockdown than it was beforehand. Regardless of the COVID stage, the presence of more green spaces was linked to higher rates of walking, while moderate residential density was associated with the highest walking rates. More diverse locations showed lower levels of walking, potentially due to pandemic-related closures of non-essential businesses. Conclusions: By evaluating the impact of built environment characteristics on leisure walking/jogging patterns during the 2020 lockdowns, we provided evidence that the local built environment remains an important determinant of walking whether or not people's options are restricted by stay-at-home orders. These findings emphasize the importance of considering built environment characteristics in promoting and maintaining physical activity levels well beyond the era of COVID restrictions.