Abstract
Citation
Brownson RC, Chang JJ, Eyler AA, Ainsworth BE, Kirtland KA, Saelens BE, Sallis JF. Measuring the environment for friendliness toward physical activity: a comparison of the reliability of 3 questionnaires. Am J Public Health 2004 Mar;94(3):473-83.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We tested the reliability of 3 instruments that assessed social and physical environments. METHODS: We conducted a test-retest study among US adults (n = 289). We used telephone survey methods to measure suitableness of the perceived (vs objective) environment for recreational physical activity and nonmotorized transportation. RESULTS: Most questions in our surveys that attempted to measure specific characteristics of the built environment showed moderate to high reliability. Questions about the social environment showed lower reliability than those that assessed the physical environment. Certain blocks of questions appeared to be selectively more reliable for urban or rural respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Despite differences in content and in response formats, all 3 surveys showed evidence of reliability, and most items are now ready for use in research and in public health surveillance.
Full Text
The full text is available at https://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.94.3.473
At A Glance
Physical Activity Environment Variables
| # | Type of Environment/Location |
|---|---|
| 97 | Total Environments/Locations |
| 97 | Community/Neighborhood as a Whole |
| # | Scale |
|---|---|
| 97 | Neighborhood |
| Measure | objective | perceived |
|---|---|---|
| Facility Adequacy/Appeal or Quality | ✘ | ✔ |
| Facility Access/Availablity/Proximity | ✘ | ✔ |
| Aesthetics/Beautification | ✘ | ✔ |
Domain(s)
Physical Activity Environment
Measure Type
Questionnaire
Measure Availability
Free. Access at Measure available from Dr. BE Ainsworth
Number of Items
61 Reported
Study location
Metro/Urban, Small Town/Rural
SC, Continental US, USA
Languages
English
Information about Development of Measure
Nothing to add
Study Design
Study Participants
Age
Adults
Sex
Female
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Black/African American
Non-white
Predominantly Low-income/Low-SES
No
Sample Size
97
Study Design
Design Type
Validation/Reliability
Descriptive
Health Outcomes Assessed
None
Obesity Measures
Not applicable
BMI Measured or Self-reported
Not applicable
Covariates
Sociodemographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, race)
Data Reported on Race/Ethnicity
Quantitative data on study sample
Data Reported on SES
Quantitative data for community or area
SES-related Variables
Income
Education
Employment/Unemployment
How To Use
Administration
Who Administered
Researcher-administered
How Administered
Phone
Time Required
25 minutes
Training Required
Yes, time reported: 8 hours
Instructions on Use
Not reported
Data Analysis
Data Collection/Analysis Costs
Not available
Data Collection/Protocol
Second survey for test-retest study conducted within 7-21 day time frame.
Instructions on Data Analysis
Not reported
Validity (0)
There are no validity tests reported for this measure.
Reliability (4)
| Type of reliability | Construct/subscale assessed | Test/statistic used | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test-retest | Physical environment subscales | ICC | 0.39 to 0.87 |
| Test-retest | Community environment subscales | Observed agreement | 60.9% to 70.8% |
| Test-retest | Physical environment subscales | Observed agreement | 46.5% to 93.8% |
| Test-retest | Community environment subscales | ICC | 0.42 to 0.65 |