Measuring Progress in Obesity Prevention Workshop Report (2012) / Chapter Skim
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2 Physical Activity and the Built Environment
2 Physical Activity and the Built Environment
Pages 5-20
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From page 5... ...
• Non-health sectors need to be engaged in the collection of these data because data related to the built environment are not rou tinely collected by the health sector. • Clear national objectives need to be established for the collection and use of data related to physical activity environments.
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From page 6... ...
He explained that policies, whether formal or informal, issued by government or the private sector, can affect physical activity in four ways. First, zoning and building codes and the design of transportation and recreation facilities all affect the built environment.
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Figure 2-1.eps SOURCE: Sallis et al., 2006. Annual Review of Public Health Copyright 2005 by ANNUAL REVIEWS, INC.
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In answer to a question, Sallis noted that a small amount of research has begun to explore the associations between the built environment and levels of fitness, although one would expect the higher activity levels in supportive environments to lead to increased fitness. Sallis presented preliminary results from a review he and colleagues were conducting of several hundred studies of the specific associations between attributes of the built environment and physical activity levels in youth (Figures 2-2a and 2-2b)
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From page 9... ...
23 Land-use mix 13 51 Home equipment 56 31 Recreational facilities Reported PA 18 24 Parks Objectively measured PA 19 FIGURE 2-2b Associations between perceived attributes of the built environment and physical activity among youth. 2-2b.eps NOTE: Data presented were preliminary; final results were separated by children aged 3-12 and adolescents aged 13-18 and are presented in Ding and colleagues (2011)
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From page 10... ...
Pedestrian/bicycle facilities Transport/complete Transportation departments; streets* state and local governments Traffic volume/speed Transport Transportation departments; governments Transit access Transport Transportation departments; governments Parks, trails Park and recreation Developers of national standards and funding standards; local governments Private recreation facilities Marketplace Business owners Aesthetics, vegetation Various Multiple School grounds, siting Standards, joint-use State education departments agreements and governments *
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From page 11... ...
Observation or Audits Trained data collectors can count streets, parks, trails, and other features, and these counts provide useful data. However, Sallis explained, these data are expensive to collect.
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From page 12... ...
For example, a transportation department might have detailed information about local roads but collect nothing on sidewalks or bicycle facilities because they are not a priority. Thus, Sallis explained, if agencies not typically concerned with public health issues could be persuaded to include health-related data in their collection efforts, and if consensus could be developed on variables, a GIS could be much more useful for collecting data related to physical activity.
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From page 13... ...
. She explored whether current measures related to physical activity and the built environment are "accurate; reliable; feasible to collect across diverse communities; sensitive in detecting change to the environment and policies associated with physical activity; and responsive to the data needs of advocates, decision makers, and planners at the local level." When surveillance is effective, the result is an ongoing information loop, Hoehner explained, that works as shown in Figure 2-3.
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From page 14... ...
Hoehner explained that in the case of physical activity, the National Physical Activity Plan -- developed under the sponsorship of numerous organizations, including the YMCA, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association, and launched in 2010 -- describes policies and programs designed to promote physical activity "to improve health, prevent disease and disability, and enhance quality of life."2 The plan offers recommendations directed to eight sectors with potential influence: business and industry; education; health care; mass media; parks, recreation, fitness, and sport; public health; transportation, land use, and community design; and volunteer and nonprofit organizations. These recommendations include surveillance and reporting of data.
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From page 15... ...
Measurement Tools and Gaps At present, surveys, GIS, and auditing and observational tools are the primary sources of data for physical activity and the built environment, as Sallis described. Hoehner provided additional detail on how these three approaches are used to measure physical activity.
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From page 16... ...
Geographic Information Systems GIS data provide the only feasible objective measures of the built environment across large areas, Hoehner explained. Although much of this type of data currently is collected by non-health sectors, she continued, it provides information about parks, indoor recreation facilities, land use, streets and public transit, vegetation, traffic accidents, and neighborhood deprivation.
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USDA National Agriculture National Imagery Program Crime FBI Uniform Crime Reports National (city/county) Local police departments Local Traffic accidents Motor vehicle accident reports State or local Neighborhood deprivation U.S.
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Department of Health and Human Services, has engaged approximately 50 communities in working to reduce the rate of diseases related to obesity and tobacco consumption using environmen 3 Many tools for audits and observations are listed on the Active Living Research website, maintained by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (www.activelivingresearch.org [accessed July 2011]
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From page 19... ...
Bridging the Gap, a program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is examining policy and environmental measures in a nationally representative sample of 150 to 200 communities defined by school catchment areas. Other initiatives include Healthy Kids; Healthy Communities, which uses online tracking to explore community partnerships; and the Childhood Obesity GIS System, an online tool for mapping many types of data.
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From page 20... ...
2011. The physical inactivity, inactivity, and built environments: Current and potential sources of measures for assessing progress in obesity prevention.
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