Table 1.
Description of observational school audit tool studies.
| ID | Name of Tool (if named) | Articles | Stated Purpose | Setting | School Typec | Item Typesd | How to Access Tool and Relevant Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ACTION! Staff Audit | Webber et al. (2007) | Assess physical characteristics of the school and neighborhood as part of formative research for a | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA | ES | Freq, Cat, Open | Tool provided via email from author |
| 2 | Adachi et al, 2013 | Adachi-Mejia et al. (2013) | Assess and analyze the content, location, and advertising of vending machines in high schools in varying geographic regions | Vermont, New Hampshire, USA | HS | Freq, Cat | Tool described in publication |
| 3 | Belansky et al, 2013 | Belansky et al. (2013) | Verify whether schools implement planned environment and policy changes following two different intervention | Colorado, USA | ES | Scale, Freq, Cat, Open | Tool provided via email from author |
| 4 | Rushing and Asperin (2012) | Rushing and Asperin (2012) | Gather information on branding strategies used in high school nutrition programs | Midwest and Southeast | HS | Freq, Open | Tool described in publication |
| 5 | Co-SEA (COMPASS School Environment Application) | Leatherdale et al. (2014a) Hunter et al. (2016); Vine et al. (2017) | Measure aspects of the built environment associated with modifiable determinants of obesity, including using photos to supplement direct observational data | Ontario and Alberta, Canada | HS | Scale, Freq, Cat, Open, Other: photos | Tool and technical report described in publication |
| 5.1 | Co-SEA (Adapted) | Godin et al. (2017) | Examine the presence of water sources and industry sponsored sugar-sweetened beverage food kiosks | Guatemala | MS, HS | Scale, Freq, Open, Other:photos | Tool and technical report references provided in publication |
| 6 | EAPRS (Environmental Assessment of Public Recreation Spaces) | Colabianchi et al.(2011); Saelens et al., 2006) | Examine correlation between attributes of school playgrounds and playground utilization and activity level | Cleveland, OH, USA | ES | Scale, Freq, Cat, Open | Tool and scoring guide publicly available https://activelivingresearch.org/environmental-assessment-public-recreation-spaces-eaprs-tool |
| 7 | ENDORSE school food environment tool | Van Der Horst et al. (2008) | Assess association between eating behaviors and availability of foods and beverages in various areas of the school canteen | Netherlands | MS | Freq, Cat | Tool described in publication |
| 8 | Food Decision Environment Tool | Ozturk et al. (2016) | Develop structured tool to assess food-choice architecture and identify behavioral economic intervention points to improve child diet quality | South Carolina, USA | ES | Freq, Cat, Open | Tool described in publication |
| 9 | GRF-OT (The Great Recess Framework – Observational Tool) | Massey et al. (2018a, 2018b) | Develop tool to measure contextual factors (e.g., safety, transitions) associated with recess behaviors | Midwestern USA | ES | Scale | Tool, manual/guide, and scoring guide publicly available |
| 10 | Hecht et al, 2017 | Hecht et al. (2017) | Validate administrator surveys in order to better or more efficiently characterize water access in the schools | San Francisco, USA | ES, MS, HS | Freq, Cat, Open | Tool described in publication |
| 11 | ISAT (International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and Environment School) Audit Toolb | Katzmarzyk et al. (2013); Broyles et al. (2015), Lewis et al. (2016) | Develop a single tool that can be used world-wide to assess PA environment in schools and its relationship to PA | Australia and 12 other countries | ES | Scale, Freq, Cat, Open | Tool, manual/guide, supporting materials provided in publication |
| 12 | Laurie et al, 2017 | Laurie et al. (2017) | Assess food garden attributes (size, physical aspects, and use) to improve understanding of sustainable food productive practices | South Africa | ES | Scale, Cat, Open | Tool provided via email from author |
| 13 | LCFO (Lunch and Competitive Foods Observation) Form | Ritchie et al. (2015) | Gather information about the nutrition environment (e.g., competitive food venues, school meal items and service, and dining facilities) in schools across the USA | Multiple sites, USA | ES, MS | Scale, Freq, Cat, Open | Tool described in publication, manual/guide provided via email from author |
| 14 | PARA (Physical Activity Resource Assessment) | Findholt et al. (2011); Lee et al. (2005) | Identify quantity and quality of publicly accessible PA resources in rural communities | Oregon, USA | ES | Scale, Freq, Cat | Tool and manual/guide described in publication and publicly available https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/library/materials/physical-activity-resource-assessment-para-instrument |
| 14.1 | PARA (Adapted) | Pate et al. (2015) | Assess the variety and quality of school ground features and amenities and document evidence of unsociable behaviors | Multiple sites, USA | ES, MS | Scale, Freq, Cat, Open | Tool reference provided and adaptation described in publication |
| 15 | Patel et al, 2009 | Patel et al. (2009) | Conduct site visits to define state of schools’ food environment, and improve environments and policy implementation | Los Angeles, California, USA | MS | Freq, Cat, Open, Other: mapping | Tool provided via email from author |
| 16 | School Food Environment Scan | Spruance et al. (2017) | Assess school-level factors (e.g., other food sources, cafeteria environment) related to students’ use of salad bars | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA | MS, HS | Scale, Freq, Cat, Open | Tool described in publication, manual/guide provided via email from author |
| 17 | School Lunchroom Audits | Thomas et al. (2016) | Provide a process measure to assess fidelity of a Smarter Lunchrooms intervention | Multiple sites, USA | MS | Freq, Open, Other: photos | Tool described in publication |
| 18 | SF-EAT (School Food Environment Assessment Tool) | Black et al. (2015) | Assess extent to which schools integrate healthy food initiatives (with equal emphasis on sustainability), and identify potential local and school-specific action | Vancouver, Canada | ES, MS, HS | Scale, Freq, Open | Tool provided via email from author |
| 19 | SNDA-III (School Nutrition and Dietary Assessment) | Finkelstein et al. (2008); Briefel et al. (2009); Fox et al. (2009a), Fox et al. (2009b) | Assess USDA school meals and other aspects of the school food environment and policies | Multiple sites, USA | ES, MS, HS | Freq, Cat, | Tool and scoring guide publicly available https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-nutrition-dietary-assessment-study-iii |
| 20 | SNEO (School Nutrition Environment Checklist) | Newton et al. (2011) | Assess the cafeteria environment, including both items related to suggested alterations and items related to unhealthy elements | Rural Louisiana, USA | ES, MS | Freq, Cat, Open | Tool provided via email from author |
| 21 | SPACE (Spatial Planning and Children’s Exercise) Checklist | Van Kann et al. (2016) | Investigate influence of schoolyard characteristics (equipment, green space, upkeep) with child PA levels | Southern Limburg, Netherlands | ES | Scale, Freq, Cat | Tool described and provided in publication |
| 22 | SPAN-ET (School Physical Activity and Nutrition Environment Tool) | John et al. (2016) | Measure the school PA/nutrition environment categories related to childhood obesity prevention in order to quantify environmental change | Oregon, USA | ES | Scale, Cat, Open | Tool and manual/guide provided via email from author |
| 23 | SPEEDY school grounds audit | Jones et al. (2010); Van Sluijs et al. (2011); Mantjes et al. (2012) | Measure the environmental characteristics of schools’ external grounds, including their suitability for PA | Norfolk, England | ES | Scale, Freq, Cat | Tool described in publication |
| 23.1 | SPEEDY school grounds audit (Adapted) | Harrison et al. (2016) | Measure the environmental characteristics of schools’ external grounds, and assess if and how these characteristics change between primary and secondary school | Norfolk, England | MS | Scale, Freq, Cat | Tool reference provided, adaptation described in publication, manual/guide provided via email from author |
| 23.2 | SPEEDY school grounds audit (Adapted) | Dias et al. (2017) | Evaluate how quality/quantity of outdoor play structures correlates with practicing PA in physical education class and recess | Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | HS | Scale, Freq | Tool reference provided and adaptation described in publication |
| 23.3 | SPEEDY school grounds audit (Adapted) | Tarun et al. (2017) | Measure and describe the characteristics of the outdoor school grounds in order to inform future intervention targets | Delhi, India | ES, MS, HS | Scale, Freq, Cat | Tool reference provided and adaptation described in publication |
| 23.4 | SPEEDY school grounds audit (Unadapted) | Chalkley et al. (2018) | Assess opportunities for PA in the school environment prior to program implementation | East Midlands, UK | ES | Scale, Freq, Cat | Tool reference provided in publication |
| 23.5 | SPEEDY school grounds audit (Unadapted) | Hyndman and Chancellor (2017) | Describe active play opportunities in secondary school environments in order to inform policy/practice for adolescents | New South Wales, Australia | MS | Scale, Freq, Cat | Tool reference provided in publication |
b
ISAT tool was partially adapted from SPEEDY tool.
c
ES = Elementary; MS = Middle; HS=High/Secondary.
d
Scale = Rating scale; Freq = Frequency/Counts; Cat = Categorical or Binary; Open = Open Response.