Table 3.
Summary of instruments measuring the observed environment for physical activity
| Instrument/study | Year first publis hed |
Country of origin |
Number of itemsa |
Domains covered (reliability) | Method of collecting data |
Time required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community audits | |||||||
| Systematic social observation82 |
2001 | U.S. | 45 | Ave. inter-rater reliability =0.87 Type and condition of buildings; condition of grounds/undeveloped spaces; indications of block uniformity/territoriality; type of street; presence of graffiti/litter; neighborhood resources; presence/activities of people; types of nonresidential land uses |
Paper form | 5–10 min per block |
|
| Systematic Pedestrian and Cycling Environmental Scan (SPACES) Instrument40, 83 |
2002 | Australia | 51 | Reliability measured as % of items with ≥75% agreement between two raters and as kappa statistic. 48 of 67 items have K≥0.4 Type of buildings/features; walking & cycling surface; street assessment; overall assessment |
Paper form (1 page) |
Estimate: observers can audit *2 km in 40 min |
One of earliest tools; served as basis for several later tools |
| Neighborhood Active Living Potential84, 85 |
2002 | Canada | 18 | Inter-rater reliability >0.90 Three main categories: activity friendliness, safety, density of destinations |
Paper form | Not reported | |
| Walking Suitability Assessment Form86 |
2003 | U.S. | 15 | Inter-rater reliability of r =0.79 Traffic volume and speed; sidewalk conditions |
Paper form (1 page) |
Not reported | |
| Bicycling Suitability Assessment Form86 |
2003 | U.S. | 27 | Inter-rater reliability of r=0.90 Traffic volume and speed; bike lane characteristics |
Paper form (1 page) |
Not reported | |
| Analytic Audit Tool87 |
2004 | U.S. | 144 | Reliability measured as % of items with ≥ 75% agreement between two ratersb Recreational facilities (100%); land-use environment (75%); transportation environment (74% ); signage (57%); social environment (56%); physical disorder/aesthetics (29%) |
Two versions: PDA and paper form |
10.6 minutes/ segment |
|
| Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA) Instrument78 |
2005 | U.S. | 43 | Reliability tests of items with ≥10% agreement showed r >0.77 Rates resources (parks, churches, schools, sports facilities, community centers, fitness centers, trails) on: location, type, cost, features, amenities, quality, incivilities |
Paper form (1 page) |
10 min to audit a medium-sized resource |
Focus is evaluation of specific facilities |
| Senior Walking Environmental Audit Tool (SWEAT)88 |
2005 | U.S. | 188 | Reliability measured by kappa and agreement scores. Overall, acceptable agreement for 67% of items. Reliability reported as K>0.6 or r >0.6 Functionality (71%); safety (58%); aesthetics (67%); destination (42%) |
Paper form | 17 min/ segment | Focus is walking environments for seniors |
| Sidewalk Assessment Tool89 |
2005 | U.S. | 5 | Reliability measured by kappa statistic. Levelness (0.51); artificial blockages (0.72); natural blockages (0.54); cleanliness (0.47); surface condition (0.41) |
Paper form | 8–12 min/segment | Community input and participation contributed to tool development. |
| Irvine–Minnesota Inventory90, 91 |
2006 | U.S. | 176 | Reliability measured as % of items with >80% agreement between raters. 77% agreement w/ 3 raters in CA; 99% agreement w/ 2 raters in MN Accessibility; pleasurability; perceived safety from traffic; perceived safety from crime |
Two versions: tablet PC and paper form |
In CA: 3–4 hours/setting, with 15–20 segments/ setting In MN: 20 min/ segment, including travel, fieldwork, data entry, and proofing |
|
| Measurement Instrument for Urban Design Qualities11 |
2006 | U.S. | 27 | Reliability measured by intraclass correlation coefficients, where 0.4–0.6 ICCs is moderate agreement Visual enclosure (0.585); human scale (0.508); complexity (0.508); transparency (0.499); image-ability (0.494); tidiness (0.421) |
Paper form (1 page) |
20 min/segment | Uses videotape to record the environment for observation |
| African American Health Study92 |
2008 | U.S. | 7 | Reliability measured by intraclass correlation coefficients and kappa, ranged from 0.58 (air quality) to 0.84 (sidewalks) Street and block face ratings for: housing conditions, presence of security measures, commercial property, noise, litter |
Paper form | 5 min/block | Included an assessment of construct validity. Rater effects were present. |
| Active Neighborhood Checklist93 |
2007 | U.S. | 57 | Reliability measured by mean kappa statistic Land-use characteristics (0.74); street characteristics (0.69); quality of the environment for pedestrians (0.68); sidewalks (0.58); shoulders and bike lanes (0.58) |
Paper form | 11.7 min/segment | Designed for use by community members and researchers |
| Pedestrian Environment Data Scan (PEDS) Tool94 |
2007 | U.S. | 36 | Reliability measured by kappa statistic (most items). 33/47 have kappa statistic ≥ 0.4. Environment; pedestrian facilities; road attributes; walking/cycling environment; subjective assessment |
Two versions: PDA and paper form (1 page) |
3–5 min/ 400 ft. segment |
|
| Environmental supports for people with disabilities95 |
2007 | Canada | 18 | Reliability measured by kappa statistic Walking surface (0.11); signage (0.66); surroundings (0.32) |
Paper form | Not reported | 3 items developed specifically for people with disabilities |
| Measures of environmental characteristics96 |
2008 | U.S. | 14 variables (# items not specified) |
Inter-rater reliability >0.85 Three main categories: street/traffic, sidewalks, aesthetics |
Paper form | Not reported | Based on work of Pikora83 |
| Park Audits | |||||||
| Bedimo-Rung Assessment Tools– Direct Observation (BRAT–DO) Instrument80 |
2006 | U.S. | 135 | Reliability measured as % items with ≥ 70% agreement between two raters. Overall domain reliability = 86.9%; overall geographic area reliability = 87.5% Features (97.6%); conditions (91.4%); access (96.8%); esthetics (87.5%); safety (100%); Includes measurements for activity areas, supporting areas, surrounding neighborhood |
Paper form | Not reported | Includes items to measure post- hurricane park damage |
| Environmental Assessment of Public Recreation Spaces (EAPRS) Tool81 |
2006 | U.S. | 712 | Kappa statistic and % agreement. Most items = good to excellent reliability. Trail/path; specific use; water-related; play elements |
Paper form | Not reported | |
| Trail Audit | |||||||
| Path Environment Audit Tool (PEAT)79 |
2006 | U.S. | 93 | Reliability measured by mean K statistic. 15/16 primary amenity items ≥0.49 (“moderate”); all had observed agreement ≥81%. Design; amenity; maintenance |
Tablet PC or PDA; GPS unit |
Not reported | |
|
Workplace
Outdoor Environment Audit |
|||||||
| Workplace walkability audit97 |
2005 | U.S. | Likert, 9 open ended, 5 |
Reliability measured with weighted K statistic Pedestrian facilities (0.54); pedestrian conflicts (0.67); crosswalks (0.60); maintenance (0.23); path size (0.33); buffer (0.64); universal accessibility (0.48); aesthetics (0.44); shade (0.26) |
Paper form | Not reported |
a
Number of items observed is reported in different ways in publications describing these instruments. Here, number of items refers to the total number of discrete items recorded for each segment or unit of analysis. Identifying information (observer #, segment #) is not included in this count.
b
Reliability also measured as intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and as Cohen’s kappa statistic.
PDA, personal digital assistant