Gul Ahmed Jokhio

Measuring the differences of neighbourhood environment and physical activity in gated and non-gated neighbourhoods in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract Neighbourhood environment (NE) is important for physical activity (PA); however, no studies have compared the NE and PA in gated neighbourhoods, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare NE and PA between gated and non-gated neighbourhoods. Objective and subjective (n = 1042) methods and independent sample t-tests were used. Results show that all the indicators are significantly different except housing density. Vigorous Physical Activity (VPA) is higher in gated but walking is higher in non-gated neighbourhoods. Therefore, it can be concluded that gating can reduce walking habits of people living in gated neighbourhoods in developing countries.

The effects of socio-demographic factors on physical activity in gated and non-gated neighbourhoods in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract Physical activity (PA) is important in ensuring a healthy population. It is dependent on various socio-demographic (SD) factors, such as age, gender, employment and marital status. A limited number of studies have investigated the relationship between SD factors and PA but research exploring this relationship from the perspective of gated and non-gated neighbourhoods is scarcer. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between SD factors and PA variables in gated and nongated neighbourhoods in Karachi Pakistan. Results of the independent sample t-test and Pearson chi-square showed that young and single people do more sports activities in gated neighbourhoods. Women, unemployed people and public transport users walk more in non-gated neighbourhoods. In conclusion, future neighbourhoods should have more pedestrian friendly areas and a larger number of PA facilities, rather than building more walls and gates.

The association between the perception of crime and walking in gated and non-gated neighbourhoods of Asian developing countries

It has been reported in the literature that the perception of crime at the neighbourhood level inversely affects the walking behaviour of individuals. On the other hand, the gated neighbourhoods are considered safe from crime, however, there is a lack of research on the association of the perception of crime and walking in gated neighbourhoods. Therefore, the objectives of the study reported in this paper were to investigate the association between the perception of crime and walking in gated and non-gated neighbourhoods. A questionnaire was used to collect the data on walking and the perception of crime in 16 neighbourhoods of Karachi Pakistan, 8 out of which were gated. Independent sample t-test and gamma tests were used for the data analysis. The results show that although there is a lower perception of crime in the gated neighbourhoods, yet the inhabitants of gated neighbourhoods engage in less physical activity comprising of walking. In spite of a greater perception of crime in non-gated neighbourhoods, higher values of walking were reported by the residents of those neighbourhoods. Therefore, it has been concluded that there does not exist a definite relationship between the perception of crime and walking behaviour at the neighbourhood level and the perceived safety from crime claimed by the proponents of the gated neighbourhoods does not encourage walking among the residents.