Assessing the environmental characteristics of cycling routes to school: a study on the reliability and validity of a Google Street View-based audit

International Journal of Health Geographics

Greet Cardon¹  Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij¹  Fabian Ducheyne¹  Delfien Van Dyck²  Griet Vanwolleghem¹ 

[1] Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Egmontstraat 5, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

关键词: Physical environment;    Children;    Cycling routes;    Active commuting to school;    Google Street View;   

Others  :  804540
DOI  :  10.1186/1476-072X-13-19

 received in 2014-03-31, accepted in 2014-06-03,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Google Street View provides a valuable and efficient alternative to observe the physical environment compared to on-site fieldwork. However, studies on the use, reliability and validity of Google Street View in a cycling-to-school context are lacking. We aimed to study the intra-, inter-rater reliability and criterion validity of EGA-Cycling (Environmental Google Street View Based Audit - Cycling to school), a newly developed audit using Google Street View to assess the physical environment along cycling routes to school.

Methods

Parents (n = 52) of 11-to-12-year old Flemish children, who mostly cycled to school, completed a questionnaire and identified their child’s cycling route to school on a street map. Fifty cycling routes of 11-to-12-year olds were identified and physical environmental characteristics along the identified routes were rated with EGA-Cycling (5 subscales; 37 items), based on Google Street View. To assess reliability, two researchers performed the audit. Criterion validity of the audit was examined by comparing the ratings based on Google Street View with ratings through on-site assessments.

Results

Intra-rater reliability was high (kappa range 0.47-1.00). Large variations in the inter-rater reliability (kappa range -0.03-1.00) and criterion validity scores (kappa range -0.06-1.00) were reported, with acceptable inter-rater reliability values for 43% of all items and acceptable criterion validity for 54% of all items.

Conclusions

EGA-Cycling can be used to assess physical environmental characteristics along cycling routes to school. However, to assess the micro-environment specifically related to cycling, on-site assessments have to be added.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Vanwolleghem et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Andersen LB, Riddoch C, Kriemler S, Hills AP: Physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in children. Br J Sports Med 2011, 45:871-876.
• [2]Biddle SJ, Asare M: Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: a review of reviews. Br J Sports Med 2011, 45:886-895.
• [3]Cooper AR, Wedderkopp N, Wang H, Anders LB, Froberg K, Page AS: Active travel to school and cardiovascular fitness in Danish children and adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2005, 38:1724-1731.
• [4]Merom D, Tudor-Locke C, Bauman A, Rissel C: Active commuting to school among NSW primary school children: implications for public health. Health Place 2006, 12:678-687.
• [5]Davison KK, Werder JL, Lawson CT: Children’s active commuting to school: current knowledge and future direction. Prev Chronic Dis 2008, 5:1-11.
• [6]Southward EF, Page AS, Wheeler WW, Cooper AR: Contribution of the school journey to daily physical activity in children aged 11–12 years. Am J Prev Med 2012, 43:201-204.
• [7]Van Gils J, Zualaert G, Wets G, Cuyvers R: Vervoersafhankelijkheid en vervoersautonomie van kinderen (10–13 jaar) (2007). https://www.belspo.be/belspo/organisation/Publ/pub_ostc/CPtrans/rappCP61_nl.pdf webcite
• [8]D’Haese S, De Meester F, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Deforche B, Cardon G: Criterion distances and environmental correlates of active commuting to school in children. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2011, 8:88. BioMed Central Full Text
• [9]Cardon G, Maes L, Haerens L, De Bourdeaudhuij I: Bicycling to school during the transition from childhood into adolescence: a six-year longitudinal study. Pediatr Exerc Sci 2012, 24:369-383.
• [10]De Bourdeaudhuij I, Rzewnicki R: Determinanten van fysieke activiteit: paper 4. Vlaams Tijdschrift voor Sportgeneeskunde en Sportwetenschappen 2001, 75-89.
• [11]Sallis JF, Cervero JB, Ascher W, Henderson KA, Kraft MK, Kerr J: An ecological approach to creating active living communities. Annu Rev Public Health 2006, 27:297-322.
• [12]Aarts MJ, Mathijssen JJP, van Oers JAM, Schuit A: Associations between environmental characteristics and active commuting to school among children: a cross-sectional study. Int J Behav Med 2013, 20:538-555.
• [13]Panter JR, Jones AP, van Sluijs EMF, Griffin SJ: Attitudes, social support and environmental perceptions as predictors of active commuting behaviour in school children. J Epidemiol Community Health 2010, 64:41-48.
• [14]de Vries SI, Hopeman-Rock M, Bakker I, Hirasing RA, van Mechelen W: Built environmental correlates of walking and cycling in Dutch urban children: results from the SPACE study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2010, 7:2309-2324.
• [15]Moore LV, Diez-Roux AV, Nettleton JA, Jacobs DR: Associations of the local food environment with diet quality–a comparison of assessments based on surveys and geographic information systems: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. Am J Epidemiol 2008, 167:917-924.
• [16]Brownson RC, Hoehner CM, Day K, Forsyth A, Sallis JF: Measuring the built environment for physical activity: state of the science. Am J Prev Med 2009, 36(Suppl 4):S99-S123.
• [17]Echeverría S, Dieze-Roux AV, Shea S, Borrell LN, Jackson S: Associations of neighborhood problems and neighborhood social cohesion with mental health and health behaviors: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Health Place 2008, 14:853-865.
• [18]McGinn AP, Evenson KR, Herring AH, Huston SL, Rodriguez DA: Exploring associations between physical activity and perceived and objective measures of the built environment. Urban Health 2007, 84:162-184.
• [19]Clifton KJ, Livi Smith ADL, Rodriguez D: The development and testing of an audit for the pedestrian environment. Landscape Urban Plann 2007, 80:95-110.
• [20]Duncan MJ, Badland HM, Mummerya WK: Applying GPS to enhance understanding of transport-related physical activity. J Sci Med Sport 2009, 12:549-556.
• [21]Pikora TJ, Bull FCI, Jamrozik K, Knuiman M, Giles-Corti B, Donovan RJ: Developing a reliable audit instrument to measure the physical environment for physical activity. Am J Prev Med 2002, 23:187-194.
• [22]Day K, Boarnet M, Alfonzo M, Forsyth A: The irvine-minnesota inventory to measure built environments. Am J Prev Med 2006, 30:144-152.
• [23]Brownson RC, Hoehner CM, Brennan LK, Cook RA, Elliot MB, McMullen KM: Reliability of two instruments for audititng the environment for physical activity. J Phys Activ Health 2004, 1:189-207.
• [24]Neckerman KM, Lovasi GS, Davies S, Purciel M, Quinn J, Feder E, Raghunath N, Wasserman B, Rundle A: Disparities in urban neighborhood conditions: evidence from GIS measures and field observation. J Public Health Policy 2009, 30:S264-S285.
• [25]Evenson KR, Sotres-Alvarez D, Herring AH, Messer L, Laraia BA, Rodríguez DA: Assessing urban and rural neighborhood characteristics using audit and GIS data: derivation and reliability of constructs. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2009, 6:44. BioMed Central Full Text
• [26]Badland HM, Optit S, Witten K, Kearns RA, Mavoa S: Can virtual streetscape audits reliably replace physical streetscape audits? J Urban Health 2010, 87:1007-1016.
• [27]Clarke P, Ailshire J, Melendez R, Bader M, Morenoff J: Using Google Earth to conduct a neighborhood audit: reliability of a virtual audit instrument. Health Place 2010, 16:1224-1229.
• [28]Taylor BT, Fernando P, Bauman AE, Williamson A, Craig JC, Redman S: Measuring the quality of public open space Using Google Earth. Am J Prev Med 2011, 40:105-112.
• [29]Rundle AG, Bader MDM, Richards CA, Neckerman KM, Teitler JO: Using Google Street view to audit neighborhood environments. Am J Prev Med 2011, 40:94-100.
• [30]Wilson JS, Kelly CM, Schootman M, Baker EA, Banerjee A, Clennin M, Miller DK: Assessing the built environment using omnidirectional imagery. Am J Prev Med 2012, 42:193-199.
• [31]Odgers CL, Caspi A, Bates CJ, Sampson RJ, Mofitt TE: Systematic social observation of children’s neighborhoods using Google Street View: a reliable and cost-effective method. J Child Psychol Psychiatr 2012, 53:1009-1017.
• [32]Kelly CM, Wilson JS, Baker EA, Miller DK, Schootman M: Using Google Street view to audit the built environment: inter-rater reliability results. Ann Behav Med 2013, 45:S108-S112.
• [33]Ben-Joseph E, Lee JS, Cromley EK, Laden F, Troped PJ: Virtual and actual: relative accuracy of on-site and web-based instruments in auditing the environment for physical activity. Health Place 2013, 19:138-150.
• [34]Timperio A, Ball K, Salmon J, Roberts R, Giles-Corti B, Simmons D, Baur LA, Crawford D: Personal, family, social, and environmental correlates of active commuting to school. Am J Prev Med 2006, 30:45-51.
• [35]Kerr J, Rosenberg D, Sallis JF, Saelens BE, Frank LD, Conway TL: Active commuting to school: associations with environment and parental concerns. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2006, 38:787-794.
• [36]Wong B, Faulkner G, Buliung R: GIS measured environmental correlates of active school transport: a systematic review of 14 studies. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2011, 8:39. BioMed Central Full Text
• [37]The Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge: Eindrapport Fietsongevallen en Infrastructuur. http://www.vsv.be/sites/default/files/675_eindrapport_fietsongevallen_pz-antwerpen__16_september_2011.pdf webcite
• [38]McMillan TE: The relative influence of urban form on a child's travel mode to school. Transportation 2007, 41:69-79.
• [39]McDonald NC: Children's mode choice for the school trip: the role of distance and school location in walking to school. Transportation 2008, 35:23-35.
• [40]Carver A, Timperio AF, Crawford DA: Neighborhood road environments and physical activity among youth: the CLAN study. J Urban Health 2008, 85:532-544.
• [41]Saelens B, Sallis J, Frank L: Environmental correlates of walking and cycling: findings from the transportation, urban design, and planning literatures. Ann Behav Med 2003, 25:80-91.
• [42]Trapp GSA, Giles-Corti B, Christian HE, Bulsara M, Timperio AF, McCormack GR, Villanueva KP: On your bike! a cross-sectional study of the individual, social and environmental correlates of cycling to school. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2011, 8:123. BioMed Central Full Text
• [43]Carver A, Timperio A, Crawford D: Playing it safe: the influence of neighbourhood safety on children’s physical activity. A review. Health Place 2008, 14:217-27.
• [44]Salmon J, Salmon L, Crawford DA, Hume C, Timperio A: Associations among individual, social, and environmental barriers and children’s walking or cycling to school. Am J Health Promot 2007, 22:107-113.
• [45]Carson V, Kuhle S, Spence JC, Veugelers PJ: Parents’ perception of neighbourhood environment as a determinant of screen time, physical activity and active transport. Can J Public Health 2010, 101:124-7.
• [46]Panter JR, Jones AP, van Sluijs EMF: Environmental determinants of active travel in youth: a review and framework for future research. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2008., 5
• [47]Boarnet MG, Day K, Alfonzo M, Forsuth A, Oakes M: The Irvine-Minnesota Inventory to measure built environments. Am J Prev Med 2006, 30:153-159.
• [48]Moudon AV, Lee C: Walking and bicycling: an evaluation of environmental audit instruments. Am J Health Promot 2003, 18:21-37.
• [49]Bere E, Bjørkeulund LA: Test-retest reliability of a new self reported comprehensive questionnaire measuring frequencies of different modes of adolescents commuting to school and their parents commuting to work – the ATN questionnaire. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2009, 6:68. BioMed Central Full Text
• [50]Landis JR, Koch GG: The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics 1977, 33:159-174.
• [51]Fleiss J: Statistical methods for raters and proportions. New York: Wiley; 1981.
• [52]Griew P, Hillsdon M, Foster C, Coombes E, Jones A, Wilkinson P: Developing and testing a street audit tool using Google Street View to measure environmental supportiveness for physical activity. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2013, 10:103. BioMed Central Full Text
• [53]Jones N, Jones A, van Sluijs EMF, Panter J, Harrison F, Griffin SJ: School environments and physical activity: the development and testing of an audit tool. Health Place 2010, 16:776-783.
• [54]Curtis JW, Curtis A, Mapes J, Szell AB, Cinderich A: Using google street view for systematic observation of the built environment: analysis of spatio-tamporal instability of imagery dates. Int J Health Geogr 2013, 12:53. BioMed Central Full Text
• [55]Google street view http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview webcite
• [56]Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer: Annual report “Staat en inrichting van fietspaden langs gewestwegen in Vlaanderen”. http://www.wegenenverkeer.be/persberichten/item/rapport-staat-en-inrichting-van-fietspaden-langs-gewestwegen-in-vlaanderen.html webcite
• [57]Hume C, Timperio A, Salmon J, Carver A, Giles-Corti B, Crawford D: Walking and cycling to school: predictors of increases among children and adolescents. Am J Prev Med 2009, 36:195-200.