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At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Time activity modelling of domestic exposures to radon.

Radon gas occurs naturally in the environment with a variable distribution. In some areas radon concentrates sufficiently within the built environment that it is considered as a public health risk. It is possible, successfully, to reduce radon levels in the built environment, and it has been shown that such remediation programmes can be justified in terms of the costs and benefits accruing. However, the estimated dose received by people in their homes depends on the time spent indoors. The research presented here uses data derived from time activity surveys in Northamptonshire, together with radon data from a representative home, to model potential exposures for different population sub-groups. Average home occupancy ranged from 14.8h (probable error 2.5h) for students to 17.7 (3.1) h for adults; schoolchildren spent an average of 14.9 (1.2) h at home. Over a quarter of adults, however, were in the home for 22 h on more. These differences in occupancy patterns lead to substantial differences in radon exposure. In a home with an average hourly ground floor radon concentration of 467 Bqm(-3), modelled hourly average exposures ranged from ca. 250 Bqm(-3) for students and school children, to over 340 Bqm(-3), for women based at home. Modelled exposures show a non-linear association with total time spent at home, suggesting that exposure estimates based on linear models may provide misleading estimates of health risks from radon and the potential benefits of radon remediation. Highest hourly exposures are likely to be experienced by people with highly occupancy, living in single-storey, ground floor accommodation (for example, the elderly the infirm and non-working young mothers). Since these may be least aware of radon risks, and least able to take up remediation measures, they should be specifically targeted for radon monitoring and for assistance in remediation schemes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Recommendations for environmental design research correlating falls and the physical environment.

The risk of falls by aging individuals (55 years or older) is increased by physical elements within the built environment. Many environmental factors are considered high-risk hazards that can lead to serious injuries such as hip fractures. This article lists the design features most often mentioned in the literature as possible contributing factors to falls that result in injury. In addition, recommendations for research to assist designers, architects, planners, facilities management teams, and health care providers in designing physical environments that meet the specific requirements of individual users are offered. With concrete empirical research, the risk of falls and consequent injuries can be reduced, making the built environment safer and more user-friendly.

Accidental Falls↗

PubMed2005

Accessibility of health clubs for people with mobility disabilities and visual impairments.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine the accessibility of health clubs to persons with mobility disabilities and visual impairments. METHODS: We assessed 35 health clubs and fitness facilities as part of a national field trial of a new instrument, Accessibility Instruments Measuring Fitness and Recreation Environments (AIMFREE), designed to assess accessibility of fitness facilities in the following domains: (1) built environment, (2) equipment, (3) swimming pools, (4) information, (5) facility policies, and (6) professional behavior. RESULTS: All facilities had a low to moderate level of accessibility. Some of the deficiencies concerned specific Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines pertaining to the built environment, whereas other deficiency areas were related to aspects of the facilities' equipment, information, policies, and professional staff. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with mobility disabilities and visual impairments have difficulty accessing various areas of fitness facilities and health clubs. AIMFREE is an important tool for increasing awareness of these accessibility barriers for people with disabilities.

Persons with Disabilities↗

PubMed2006

Do attributes in the physical environment influence children's physical activity? A review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Many youth today are physically inactive. Recent attention linking the physical or built environment to physical activity in adults suggests an investigation into the relationship between the built environment and physical activity in children could guide appropriate intervention strategies. METHOD: Thirty three quantitative studies that assessed associations between the physical environment (perceived or objectively measured) and physical activity among children (ages 3 to 18-years) and fulfilled selection criteria were reviewed. Findings were categorized and discussed according to three dimensions of the physical environment including recreational infrastructure, transport infrastructure, and local conditions. RESULTS: Results across the various studies showed that children's participation in physical activity is positively associated with publicly provided recreational infrastructure (access to recreational facilities and schools) and transport infrastructure (presence of sidewalks and controlled intersections, access to destinations and public transportation). At the same time, transport infrastructure (number of roads to cross and traffic density/speed) and local conditions (crime, area deprivation) are negatively associated with children's participation in physical activity. CONCLUSION: Results highlight links between the physical environment and children's physical activity. Additional research using a transdisciplinary approach and assessing moderating and mediating variables is necessary to appropriately inform policy efforts.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development of a Remote Accessibility Assessment System through three-dimensional reconstruction technology.

A Remote Accessibility Assessment System (RAAS) that uses three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction technology is being developed; it enables clinicians to assess the wheelchair accessibility of users' built environments from a remote location. The RAAS uses commercial software to construct 3-D virtualized environments from photographs. We developed custom screening algorithms and instruments for analyzing accessibility. Characteristics of the camera and 3-D reconstruction software chosen for the system significantly affect its overall reliability. In this study, we performed an accuracy assessment to verify that commercial hardware and software can construct accurate 3-D models by analyzing the accuracy of dimensional measurements in a virtual environment and a comparison of dimensional measurements from 3-D models created with four cameras/settings. Based on these two analyses, we were able to specify a consumer-grade digital camera and PhotoModeler (EOS Systems, Inc, Vancouver, Canada) software for this system. Finally, we performed a feasibility analysis of the system in an actual environment to evaluate its ability to assess the accessibility of a wheelchair user's typical built environment. The field test resulted in an accurate accessibility assessment and thus validated our system.

Computer Graphics↗

PubMed2003

Walking, bicycling, and urban landscapes: evidence from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Some claim that car-dependent cities contribute to obesity by discouraging walking and bicycling. In this article, we use household activity data from the San Francisco region to study the links between urban environments and nonmotorized travel. We used factor analysis to represent the urban design and land-use diversity dimensions of built environments. Combining factor scores with control variables, like steep terrain, that gauge impediments to walking and bicycling, we estimated discrete-choice models. Built-environment factors exerted far weaker, although not inconsequential, influences on walking and bicycling than control variables. Stronger evidence on the importance of urban landscapes in shaping foot and bicycle travel is needed if the urban planning and public health professions are to forge an effective alliance against car-dependent sprawl.

Bicycling↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Technology for seniors' living environment: directions for product development.

In May 1991, approximately 40 world experts on technology and aging were invited to Directions '91 in Winnipeg, Canada. The focus of the 3-day seminar was on living environments for seniors and on the research and development of products to meet the needs of an aging society. The built environment--furnishings and appliances, self-care, and leisure and recreation--was targeted in both plenary and breakout sessions. This article highlights the key concerns and recommendations developed at Directions '91. The "universal design" concept is stressed, particularly as it relates to our need to rethink the design of the built environment and the products that are currently being used by seniors seeking independence and dignity in their daily living. Consideration is also given to the physiological changes that occur in the natural process of aging and how these changes need to be accommodated in products designed for the living environment.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Childhood obesity: trends and potential causes.

The increase in childhood obesity over the past several decades, together with the associated health problems and costs, is raising grave concern among health care professionals, policy experts, children's advocates, and parents. Patricia Anderson and Kristin Butcher document trends in children's obesity and examine the possible underlying causes of the obesity epidemic. They begin by reviewing research on energy intake, energy expenditure, and "energy balance," noting that children who eat more "empty calories" and expend fewer calories through physical activity are more likely to be obese than other children. Next they ask what has changed in children's environment over the past three decades to upset this energy balance equation. In particular, they examine changes in the food market, in the built environment, in schools and child care settings, and in the role of parents-paying attention to the timing of these changes. Among the changes that affect children's energy intake are the increasing availability of energy-dense, high-calorie foods and drinks through schools. Changes in the family, particularly an increase in dual-career or single-parent working families, may also have increased demand for food away from home or pre-prepared foods. A host of factors have also contributed to reductions in energy expenditure. In particular, children today seem less likely to walk to school and to be traveling more in cars than they were during the early 1970s, perhaps because of changes in the built environment. Finally, children spend more time viewing television and using computers. Anderson and Butcher find no one factor that has led to increases in children's obesity. Rather, many complementary changes have simultaneously increased children's energy intake and decreased their energy expenditure. The challenge in formulating policies to address children's obesity is to learn how best to change the environment that affects children's energy balance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

A joint urban planning and public health framework: contributions to health impact assessment.

A joint urban planning and public health perspective is articulated here for use, in health impact assessment. Absent a blueprint for a coherent and supportive structure on which to test our thinking, we are bound to fall flat. Such a perspective is made necessary by the sheer number of people living in cities throughout the world, the need for explicit attention to land use and transportation systems as determinants of population health, and the dearth of useful indicators of the built environment for monitoring progress. If explicit attention is not paid to the overarching goals of equality and democracy, they have little if any chance of being realized in projects, programs, and policies that shape the built environment and therefore the public's health.

City Planning↗

PubMed2006

Estimation of solids loadings to rainfall-runoff unit operations using a unit pollutograph concept for source area watersheds.

Source area watershed in the built environment deliver significant loads of solids and constituents such as metals, organics and phosphorus associated with solids. The ability to model the mass delivery process of solids in small urban watersheds is essential for advancement of rainfall-runoff quantity and quality control design in the built environment. In this study the hydrologic concepts of the unit hydrograph (UH) and instantaneous unit hydrograph (IUH) were used to support the concepts of a unit pollutograph (UP) and an instantaneous unit pollutograph (IUP). These latter two concepts were developed as analogous concepts for estimation of solids mass transport loading as a pollutograph from source area watersheds. Relationships between solids mass and hydrologic volume were based on relationships that expressed either a first-order or zero-order relationship between solids mass and volumetric transport. The resulting concepts were applied to historical rainfall-runoff events where the hydrologic and water quality measurements had been conducted. From this development a site mean IUH and IUP determined from the rainfall-runoff record and water quality data, the corresponding site mean UH and UP were developed for solids. The hydrographs and solid pollutographs generated by convolution of the UH and UP compared well with measurements, indicating the feasibility of the concept.

Drainage, Sanitary↗

PubMed1997

Space, sterility and surgery: circuits of hygiene in the operating theatre.

The spaces of the surgical operating theatre (ST) and associated built environment are analysed, to explore what the physical layout means for the interactions which take place. Three "circuits of hygiene" of surgical staff, surgical instruments, and patients are documented, and analysis of these physical movements through the surgical spaces examined for their contribution to sterility. It is concluded that the built environment of the ST contributes reminders to staff to fulfil the necessary procedures of aseptic technique, to ensure the safe passage of the patient through surgery into a condition where s/he may be designated as "healed".

Asepsis↗

PubMed2006

People or places: what should be the target?

In the last decade, interest in the impact of the built environment on physical activity has grown. Policies and community and neighbourhood infrastructure provide opportunities to be active, and facilitate incidental physical activity, such as walking for transport or use of stairs. Theoretical ecological models provide a basis for physical activity research and practice, focussing attention on multiple levels of influence on behaviour (i.e., individual, social-environmental and physical environmental). However, few studies have quantified the relative contribution of these correlates on behaviour, leaving policy-makers and practitioners wondering about where to target their efforts: people or places? This paper draws on theory, evidence to date and case studies to argue that comprehensive interventions targeting both people and places are required to increase physical activity. The joint influence of place and people is discussed in the context of data showing that the likelihood of walking at recommended levels is nearly eight times higher (OR 7.84; 95% CI 4.41-13.91) in people with both a supportive environment and positive cognitions compared with those low on both. To increase physical activity requires multi-sector partnerships and comprehensive long-term multi-pronged interventions that include short-, medium- and long-term strategies aimed at bringing about cultural shifts favouring physical activity over sedentary alternatives, and the creation of a supportive built environment. The health sector can contribute by implementing public education programs, workforce development, building the evidence-base and advocating for change. However, to improve policies and infrastructure in places the commitment of sectors outside of health is critical.

Health↗

PubMed2006

Identification of contrastive and comparable school neighborhoods for childhood obesity and physical activity research.

UNLABELLED: The neighborhood social and physical environments are considered significant factors contributing to children's inactive lifestyles, poor eating habits, and high levels of childhood obesity. Understanding of neighborhood environmental profiles is needed to facilitate community-based research and the development and implementation of community prevention and intervention programs. We sought to identify contrastive and comparable districts for childhood obesity and physical activity research studies. We have applied GIS technology to manipulate multiple data sources to generate objective and quantitative measures of school neighborhood-level characteristics for school-based studies. GIS technology integrated data from multiple sources (land use, traffic, crime, and census tract) and available social and built environment indicators theorized to be associated with childhood obesity and physical activity. We used network analysis and geoprocessing tools within a GIS environment to integrate these data and to generate objective social and physical environment measures for school districts. We applied hierarchical cluster analysis to categorize school district groups according to their neighborhood characteristics. We tested the utility of the area characterizations by using them to select comparable and contrastive schools for two specific studies. RESULTS: We generated school neighborhood-level social and built environment indicators for all 412 Chicago public elementary school districts. The combination of GIS and cluster analysis allowed us to identify eight school neighborhoods that were contrastive and comparable on parameters of interest (land use and safety) for a childhood obesity and physical activity study. CONCLUSION: The combination of GIS and cluster analysis makes it possible to objectively characterize urban neighborhoods and to select comparable and/or contrasting neighborhoods for community-based health studies.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2007

Diet, physical activity, and adiposity in children in poor and rich neighbourhoods: a cross-sectional comparison.

BACKGROUND: Obesity in Canadian children increased three-fold in twenty years. Children living in low-income neighborhoods exercise less and are more overweight than those living in more affluent neighborhoods after accounting for family socio-economic status. Strategies to prevent obesity in children have focused on personal habits, ignoring neighborhood characteristics. It is essential to evaluate diet and physical activity patterns in relation to socio-economic conditions to understand the determinants of obesity. The objective of this pilot study was to compare diet, physical activity, and the built environment in two Hamilton area elementary schools serving socio-economically different communities. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study (November 2005-March 2006) in two public elementary schools in Hamilton, Ontario, School A and School B, located in low and high socioeconomic areas respectively. We assessed dietary intake, physical activity, dietary restraint, and anthropometric measures in consenting children in grades 1 and higher. From their parents we assessed family characteristics and walkability of the built environment. RESULTS: 160 children (n = 48, School A and n = 112, School B), and 156 parents (n = 43, School A and n = 113, School B) participated in this study. The parents with children at School A were less educated and had lower incomes than those at School B. The School A neighborhood was perceived to be less walkable than the School B neighborhood. Children at School A consumed more baked foods, chips, sodas, gelatin desserts, and candies and less low fat dairy, and dark bread than those at School B. Children at School A watched more television and spent more time in front of the computer than children studying at School B, but reported spending less time sitting on weekdays and weekends. Children at both schools were overweight but there was no difference in their mean BMI z-scores (School A = 0.65 versus School B = 0.81, p-value = 0.38). CONCLUSION: The determinants of overweight in children may be more complex than imagined. In future intervention programs researchers may consider addressing environmental factors, and customizing lifestyle interventions so that they are closer to community needs.

Adiposity↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Policy prescriptions for healthier communities.

Evidence of the health impacts of the built environment has increased rapidly. Studies have linked physical inactivity and motor-vehicle pollution to a range of health problems and have shown that activity levels and air quality are influenced by community design, land use, and transportation patterns. There is comparatively little awareness, however, of the role that laws and policies play in spurring sprawl and driving and of the opportunities to reorient current provisions to promote public health. This article summarizes the findings connecting the built environment to a variety of health problems. It then describes how current policies present barriers to physical activity and increase pollution by encouraging sprawl development and by offering few transportation choices. Finally, the article suggests ways to overcome these barriers by examining policies that can promote public health by making it easier to incorporate greater physical activity into our everyday lives and to reduce driving. Multidisciplinary partnerships are needed to pursue these policy prescriptions for healthier communities.

Community Health Planning↗

PubMed2003

A review of evidence-based traffic engineering measures designed to reduce pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes.

We provide a brief critical review and assessment of engineering modifications to the built environment that can reduce the risk of pedestrian injuries. In our review, we used the Transportation Research Information Services database to conduct a search for studies on engineering countermeasures documented in the scientific literature. We classified countermeasures into 3 categories-speed control, separation of pedestrians from vehicles, and measures that increase the visibility and conspicuity of pedestrians. We determined the measures and settings with the greatest potential for crash prevention. Our review, which emphasized inclusion of studies with adequate methodological designs, showed that modification of the built environment can substantially reduce the risk of pedestrian-vehicle crashes.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2005

Portable global positioning units to complement accelerometry-based physical activity monitors.

PURPOSE: This study examines the usefulness of complementing accelerometry-based physical activity measurement with spatial data from portable global positioning system (GPS) units to determine where physical activity occurs. METHODS: First, using the geographic distribution of data points and Bland-Altman plots, we examined GPS units' validity and interunit reliability by measuring the distance to a geodetic point. We also assessed interunit reliability by comparing GPS data collected in three built environment contexts. Second, we conducted a pilot study in which 35 participants wore GPS units and accelerometers in free-living conditions for 3 d. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) bouts were matched to GPS data. We classified each bout as occurring inside or outside the participant's home neighborhood. Using unpaired t-tests and Fisher's exact tests, we compared neighborhood attributes for participants having the majority of MVPA bouts within their home neighborhood, relative to those with most bouts away from their home neighborhood. RESULTS: Average distance from each unit to the geodetic point was 3.02 m (SD 2.51). Average bias among units using Bland-Altman plots was 0.90 m, ranging from -0.22 to 1.86 m, within the limits of agreement. For interunit reliability in the built environment contexts, the mean distance difference among units ranged between 10.7 m (SD 11.9) and 20.1 m (SD 21.8). For the pilot study involving participants, GPS data were available for 59.3% of all bouts (67% of MVPA time), of which 46% were in the participants' neighborhood. Participants obtaining most of their MVPA in their neighborhoods tend to live in areas with higher population density, housing unit density, street connectivity, and more public parks. CONCLUSION: Data recorded by portable GPS units is sufficiently precise to track participants' movements. Successful matching of activity monitor and locational data suggests GPS is a promising tool for complementing accelerometry-based physical activity measures. Our pilot analysis shows evidence that the relationship between environment and activity can be clarified by examining where physical activity occurs.

Acceleration↗

PubMed2004

Economic determinants of urban form: resulting trade-offs between active and sedentary forms of travel.

Economic factors have an impact on how the built environment is shaped, which in turn affects how we choose to travel. Regional transportation investment decisions are firmly rooted in economic "cost-benefit" trade-off considerations. The placement (central or outlying) and mode of transportation in which investments are made (transit, highway, sidewalks, or bikeways) influence where homes, businesses, schools, and other types of uses are located. Transportation investments create or limit access and establish a set of economic trade-offs that help determine if an area will be compact or dispersed, and mixed use or single use. Developers consider cost trade-offs between constructing connected street grids versus disconnected cul-de-sac networks, which determines if residents can walk to services and transit. Taken collectively, transportation investments and resulting land-use patterns determine if destinations are far apart or close together and linked with direct and safe sidewalks or bikeways. The end result is a built environment that determines whether walking and biking is feasible or perceived as more beneficial than driving or taking transit. This paper assesses (1) the economic forces that shape transportation investment decisions, (2) the economic impact of these investments on land use, and (3) how we as consumers choose to travel as a result of these transportation investment and land-use decisions.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗