A Method for Observing Physical Activity on Residential Sidewalks and Streets

Suminski, Richard R.; Petosa, Rick; Stevens, Emily

doi:10.1007/s11524-005-9017-2

Cited by 26 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Observations of Physical Activity in Segments using the BWM The same methods used by Suminski et al 24 to train observers and conduct the BWM were used in this study. Briefly, each segment was observed for 10 min on six different days (weekdays and weekends) during summer months.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23 An observation method [block walk method (BWM)] was recently developed to count the number of individuals walking, bicycling, and jogging on residential sidewalks and streets. 24 The BWM was found to be reliable for determining the type of physical activity being performed, the number of individuals performing the physical activity, and the geographical location (street address) where the physical activity was performed. To date, the BWM has not been used to assess relationships between environmental characteristics of sidewalk and street settings and physical activities occurring in these settings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characteristics of Urban Sidewalks/Streets and Objectively Measured Physical Activity

et al. 2007

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Several studies have found significant relationships between environmental characteristics (e.g., number of destinations, aesthetics) and physical activity. While a few of these studies verified that the physical activities assessed were performed in the environments examined, none have done this in an urban, neighborhood setting. This information will help efforts to inform policy decisions regarding the design of more "physically active" communities. Fourteen environmental characteristics of 60, 305-mlong segments, located in an urban, residential setting, were directly measured using standardized procedures. The number of individuals walking, jogging, and biking in the segments was assessed using an observation technique. The segments were heterogeneous with regards to several of the environmental characteristics. A total of 473 individuals were seen walking, bicycling, or jogging in the segments during 3,600 min of observation (60 min/segment). Of the 473 seen, 315 were walking, 116 bicycling, and 42 jogging. A greater number of individuals were seen walking in segments with more traffic, sidewalk defects, graffiti, and litter and less desirable property aesthetics. Only one environmental characteristic was associated with bicycling and none were significantly related with jogging. This study provides further evidence that environmental characteristics and walking are related. It also adds new information regarding the importance of scale (e.g., micro, macro) and how some environmental characteristics of urban, residential sidewalks and streets relate to physical activity.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Urban Sidewalks/Streets and Objectively Measured Physical Activity

et al. 2007

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“…These findings are consistent with results from other studies. [29][30][31][32] Tucker and Gilliland 32 noted that precipitation, cold weather, and wind were the deterring factors to physical activity in many parts of Canada and the northern USA. However, despite associations between leisure activity and seasonality, weather has generally not been found to be a barrier to physical activity when controlling for other potential confounders.…”

Section: Aging and The Use Of Pedestrian Facilities In Wintermentioning

confidence: 99%

Aging and the Use of Pedestrian Facilities in Winter—The Need for Improved Design and Better Technology

Hsu

Fernie

2012

J Urban Health

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Walking outdoors is often difficult or impossible for many seniors and people with disabilities during winter. We present a novel approach for conducting winter accessibility evaluations of commonly used pedestrian facilities, including sidewalks, street crossings, curb ramps (curb cuts and dropped curbs), outdoor stairs and ramps, building and transit entrances, bus stops, and driveways. A total of 183 individuals, aged 18-85 completed our survey. The results show that cold weather itself had little impact on the frequency of outdoor excursions among middle-aged and older adults while the presence of snow and/or ice on the ground noticeably kept people, especially older adults at home. The survey found that the key elements decreasing winter accessibility were icy sidewalks and puddles at street crossings and curb ramps. While communities have recognized the need to improve snow and ice removal, little attention has been paid to curb ramp design which is especially ineffective in winter when the bottom of the ramps pool with rain, snow, and ice, making it hazardous and inaccessible to nearly all users. We conclude that investigations of alternative designs of curb ramp are needed.

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“…Recently, researchers have begun to employ direct observation of physical activities in open-air settings such as parks (Mckenzie et al 2006), transportation routes (Suminski et al 2006b), pedestrian crossings (Zeedyk and Kelly 2003), and residential streets/sidewalks (Suminski et al 2006a). Whether meteorological conditions need to be considered when these methods are employed is not known.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meteorological conditions are associated with physical activities performed in open-air settings

et al. 2007

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Meteorological conditions (MC) are believed to modify physical activity. However, studies in this area are limited and none have looked at the associations between MC and physical activity in open-air settings. Therefore, we examined the relationships between MC and physical activities performed on sidewalks/streets and outdoor oval tracks. Observation techniques were used to count individuals walking to school, exercising on oval tracks and walking/jogging/biking on sidewalks/streets. Meteorological conditions were obtained from an Automated Surface Observing System located at a nearby airport for the same time periods physical activities were observed. On weekdays, fewer children were seen walking to school and more bicyclists were observed on sidewalks/streets as wind speed increased (p < 0.05). Ambient and apparent temperatures were positively (p < 0.05) and humidity and barometric pressure negatively (p < 0.005) related to the number of individuals walking on the track. Meteorological conditions were not significantly associated with physical activities observed on weekends. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that apparent temperature (+), barometric pressure (-) and dew point (-) accounted for 58.0% of the variance in the number of walkers on the track. A significant proportion of the variance (>30%) in the number of joggers and the length of time they jogged was accounted for by apparent temperature (+) and dew point (-). We found that meteorological conditions are related to physical activity in open-air settings. The results embellish the context in which environmental-physical activity relationships should be interpreted and provide important information for researchers applying the observation method in open-air settings.

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A Method for Observing Physical Activity on Residential Sidewalks and Streets

Cited by 26 publications

References 23 publications

Characteristics of Urban Sidewalks/Streets and Objectively Measured Physical Activity

Characteristics of Urban Sidewalks/Streets and Objectively Measured Physical Activity

Aging and the Use of Pedestrian Facilities in Winter—The Need for Improved Design and Better Technology

Meteorological conditions are associated with physical activities performed in open-air settings

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