The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles.

The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles. Research Abstract Details 

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The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles. Abstract Text:

Klaus Gebel,Adrian E Bauman,Mark Petticrew,

BACKGROUND: Over the last few years an increasing number of studies investigating the association between the physical environment and physical activity have been published. Many reviews have also summarized this emerging body of research, and such review papers are frequently used by public health policymakers and researchers themselves to inform decision making. METHODS: This paper systematically appraises methodologic aspects of literature reviews examining the relationship between physical activity and the physical environment published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2005. Eleven reviews and their antecedent source papers were examined. RESULTS: The majority of these reviews omitted between one third and two thirds of the studies that could have been eligible for inclusion at the time they conducted the review. Methodologic information on how the review was conducted was not always provided. Furthermore, in some cases results of a study were reported incorrectly, or physical environmental aspects were conflated with social environmental or cognitive factors. Moreover, when results were reported incorrectly, physical environmental variables were almost always reported as significantly associated with physical activity, when these associations were nonsignificant, or were not assessed as part of the primary study. CONCLUSIONS: Users of reviews in this field should be aware that there are significant methodologic variations among them, and that some reviews may include only a sample of the relevant primary studies. However, this is difficult to determine given the frequent incompleteness of review method reporting. Greater standardization in the reporting of review methods may assist with future efforts to summarize studies of the relationship between physical environments and physical activity.

The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles. Publishing Authors By Initials

K Gebel,AE Bauman,M Petticrew,

For similar information science: communications media: publications: review literature as topic research abstracts see: information science: communications media: publications: review literature as topic research

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The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles. Journal Published:

PUBLICATION TYPE: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov

Journal: American journal of preventive medicine

VOLUME: 32

Page Numbers: 361-369

Journal Abbreviation:

ISSN: 0749-3797

DAY: 20

MONTH: May

YEAR: 2007

The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles. Information

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LANGUAGE: eng

NlmUniqueID: 8704773

The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles. Keywords Mesh Terms:

KEYWORDS: Review Literature as Topic

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Grant and Affiliation Information for The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles.

AFFILIATION: Centre for Physical Activity and Health, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. klausg@health.usyd.edu.au

Country: Netherlands

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MEDLINETA: Am J Prev Med

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