{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:35:20Z","timestamp":1789000520811,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,23]],"date-time":"2025-01-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1737590400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009392","name":"Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PSAU\/2024\/01\/99520"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PSAU\/2024\/01\/99520"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009392","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background and objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>Adolescent physical activity is a critical determinant of long-term physical and mental health. However, the factors influencing activity levels remain underexplored in rapidly urbanizing regions such as Saudi Arabia, where changing built environments pose unique challenges.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study examined the relationship between neighborhood safety perceptions and physical activity levels among 1,500 adolescents aged 14\u201317 years in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, representing a mix of urban and suburban settings. This study used a cross-sectional design with data collected through a validated self-reported questionnaires and interviews; the data were analyzed through multivariate regression.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The results indicate that adolescents who perceived higher traffic-related safety concerns engaged in 30% less physical activity compared to those in safer neighborhoods (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.01). Female adolescents were 20% more likely than male adolescents to report safety concerns (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.05), while those residing in villas engaged in 15% more physical activity than their peers living in flats (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.05).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>These findings underscore the significant role of neighborhood safety in shaping adolescent health behaviors, particularly regarding traffic management and accessibility. These results contribute to the growing evidence regarding the influence of built environments on youth health and wellbeing in rapidly urbanizing regions. The study offers actionable policy recommendations for urban planners and public health officials to create safer, more inclusive environments that encourage physical activity, especially among female adolescents. Future research should adopt longitudinal designs and incorporate objective measures, such as wearable activity trackers, to assess the long-term impact of neighborhood safety interventions on adolescent health outcomes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1520851","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,23]],"date-time":"2025-01-23T06:57:43Z","timestamp":1737615463000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Impact of neighborhood safety on adolescent physical activity in Saudi Arabia: gender and socio-economic perspectives"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Abdullah","family":"Addas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1247705","DOI":"10.3389\/fcvm.2023.1247705","article-title":"The global burden of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes attributable to low physical activity, 1990\u20132019: an analysis from the global burden of disease study","volume":"10","author":"Zhang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Cardiovasc Med"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"781","DOI":"10.3233\/JAD-221216","article-title":"Physical activity for cognitive health: a model for intervention design for people experiencing cognitive concerns and symptoms of depression or anxiety","volume":"94","author":"Curran","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Alzheimer's Dis"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8918","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17238918","article-title":"60 minutes per day in moderate to vigorous physical activity as a natural health protector in young population","volume":"17","author":"Baran","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103050","DOI":"10.1101\/2023.03.10.23286997","article-title":"Subjective and objective indicators of neighbourhood safety and physical activity among UK adolescents","volume":"83","author":"Constable Fernandez","year":"2023","journal-title":"Health Place."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e23552","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000023552","article-title":"Perceived neighborhood safety and exercise behavior among community dwellers in Gauteng, South Africa","volume":"99","author":"He","year":"2020","journal-title":"Medicine."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101316","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jth.2021.101316","article-title":"Adolescents' perceptions of walking and cycling to school differ based on how far they live from school","volume":"24","author":"Mandic","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Transp Health."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1446","DOI":"10.3390\/children10091446","article-title":"Traffic accidents in children and adolescents: a complex orthopedic and medico-legal approach","volume":"10","author":"Popa","year":"2023","journal-title":"Children."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7249\/RR2490","author":"Cohen","year":"2018","journal-title":"How Can Neighborhood Parks Be Used to Increase Physical Activity"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"886","DOI":"10.15537\/smj.2021.42.8.20210310","article-title":"Physical inactivity and its predictors among adolescents in Saudi Arabia","volume":"42","author":"Alasqah","year":"2021","journal-title":"Saudi Med J"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1078","DOI":"10.3390\/life11101078","article-title":"Obesity, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary habits of saudi adolescents living in Riyadh (ATLS-2 project): revisited after a ten-year period","volume":"11","author":"Al-Hazzaa","year":"2021","journal-title":"Life."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6235","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19106235","article-title":"Physical activity and sports participation among adolescents: associations with sports-related knowledge and attitudes","volume":"19","author":"Oja","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res. 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