Background
Few neighborhood observational measures have been replicated by separate research
teams in different cities.
Purpose
This study replicates the neighborhood active living potential observation measure
in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Methods
Observers (n=5) participated in a 3-day neighborhood active living potential training session.
Observers rated 60 neighborhoods in Saskatoon during the summer of 2009 by following
a predetermined walking route constructed by joining ten randomly selected street
segments for each neighborhood. Pairs of observers independently rated neighborhoods
using an 18-item observation grid. Items represented three a priori–defined domains
of active living potential: activity friendliness (six items); safety (four items);
and density of destinations (eight items). Data analysis was conducted in autumn 2009.
Results
Application of ecometric multilevel modeling analyses showed that once inter-item
and inter-observer variability were statistically controlled, one third of the variability
in observations was among neighborhoods. Reliability estimates for observers were
0.84 for items measuring activity friendliness, 0.82 for safety, and 0.91 for density
of destinations. Convergent validity showed that neighborhood income was associated
negatively with density of destinations, positively with safety, and not associated
with activity friendliness. Percentage of people in the neighborhood walking to work
was positively associated with density of destinations and not associated with safety
or activity friendliness.
Conclusions
Results replicate findings from Montreal, Canada, that the three dimensions of the
neighborhood active living potential measure have good reliability and convergent
validity. Neighborhood active living potential appears to be a stable measure capturing
three essential elements of neighborhoods.
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Article info
Footnotes
Members of the research team are listed in the acknowledgments at the end of the text.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
