Table 6

Geographic variation in physical activity and the built environment

ZIP code

Census tract

Census block group

ICC (95% CI)

ICC (95% CI)

ICC (95% CI)


Walking for exercise


Some versus none

0.003 (0.000, 0.025)

0.000 (0.000, 0.051)

0.000 (0.000, 0.102)

Minutes per weekab

0.000 (0.000, 0.036)

0.046 (0.000, 0.129)

0.055 (0.000, 0.211)


Built environment characteristics


Residential density of 1-km buffera

0.739 (0.680, 0.799)

0.920 (0.907, 0.932)

0.953 (0.946, 0.960)

Connectivity of 1-km buffera

0.784 (0.731, 0.836)

0.879 (0.861, 0.897)

0.931 (0.920, 0.941)

Park area within 1-km buffera

0.330 (0.255, 0.405)

0.601 (0.554, 0.648)

0.778 (0.746, 0.809)


Notes: ICC indicates intra-class correlation coefficient; CI indicates confidence interval; except where otherwise indicated N = 1,608

a Log-transformed to approximate normality

b Among participants reporting some walking for exercise: N = 1,000

Lovasi et al. International Journal of Health Geographics 2008 7:10   doi:10.1186/1476-072X-7-10

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