For more information on the MARCHE Project, please click here

Physical environments supportive of physical activity

What is the objective of the study?

A series of studies examine the factors of neighbourhood and street environments in terms of their relationship to physical activity (commuting actively to work, to run errands and walking or cycling for leisure). Three major types of factors influence an individual's evaluation of an environment in terms of its compatibility with physical activity. In general, the environment must be safe, it must be inviting, and it must be convenient for trips by non-motorized means. A tool developed during the 1999 pilot work has been used.  Pilot work, during the 1999 Physical Environments Supportive of Physical Activity Study, measured neighbourhoods in terms of factors that are recognized in the scientific literature as being conducive to walking and bicycling. Along with these physical measures, the streets and neighbourhoods were rated in terms of various subjective measures which we believe impact the pedestrian's or cyclist's experience of a street and his or her choice to use the street. These collected data were analyzed in conjunction with Census data regarding walking to work (Craig, C.L., Brownson, R.C., Cragg, S.E., Dunn, A.L.. Exploring the effect of the environment on physical activity : A study examining walking to work. Am J Prev Med 2002;23(2S) p.36-43).

How were data collected?

The 1999 pilot project gathered information regarding indicators in nine Canadian communities, including urban and suburban areas, as well as small towns. Data were gathered through a variety of methods, allowing us to compare the effectiveness of these measurement techniques. Data were gathered from a number of sources including:

• Physical measurements — Actual measurement and rating of streets and neighbourhoods provided first-person reports of indicators.
  

• Self reported ratings – Survey respondents were asked to rate the walkability of their neighbourhoods on selected measures.
  

• Statistics Canada — Data published by Statistics Canada including census and other survey data.

Data collected during the pilot study phase have been compared for their relative levels of accuracy and cost effectiveness in yielding the desired indicators and their relationship and predictive value to the subjective measures. Based on the findings of the pilot study, methods were identified for use in measurement of Canadian communities on a national scale. Data have been analyzed with multi-level modeling techniques.