The environment we live in often discourages activity in our daily lives. Based on this hypothesis, this study will examine characteristics of the environment as associated with physical activity levels in three diverse communities. Examining this association in a diverse sample is important because women, minorities, those less educated and less affluent, those living in rural areas, and the elderly report lower levels of leisure activity. The characteristics of each community will be measured objectively by the investigators, and the subjects will also be asked about their environments in order to assess the importance of people’s perception of their community. The adult subjects in this study were surveyed about their physical activity as part of the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) in 2001-02 and are being surveyed again in 2004-05. This follow up survey will allow the investigators to also examine changes in physical activity over time.
