Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jun 27:11:22.
doi: 10.1186/1476-072X-11-22.

Using GPS technology to (re)-examine operational definitions of 'neighbourhood' in place-based health research

Bryan J Boruff  1 , Andrea Nathan, Sandra Nijënstein
Affiliations

Using GPS technology to (re)-examine operational definitions of 'neighbourhood' in place-based health research

Bryan J Boruff et al. Int J Health Geogr. .

Abstract

Background: Inconsistencies in research findings on the impact of the built environment on walking across the life course may be methodologically driven. Commonly used methods to define 'neighbourhood', from which built environment variables are measured, may not accurately represent the spatial extent to which the behaviour in question occurs. This paper aims to provide new methods for spatially defining 'neighbourhood' based on how people use their surrounding environment.

Results: Informed by Global Positioning Systems (GPS) tracking data, several alternative neighbourhood delineation techniques were examined (i.e., variable width, convex hull and standard deviation buffers). Compared with traditionally used buffers (i.e., circular and polygon network), differences were found in built environment characteristics within the newly created 'neighbourhoods'. Model fit statistics indicated that exposure measures derived from alternative buffering techniques provided a better fit when examining the relationship between land-use and walking for transport or leisure.

Conclusions: This research identifies how changes in the spatial extent from which built environment measures are derived may influence walking behaviour. Buffer size and orientation influences the relationship between built environment measures and walking for leisure in older adults. The use of GPS data proved suitable for re-examining operational definitions of neighbourhood.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of a GPS track for one walking trip and land-use exposure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Example of the Spatial Extent of a RIC Line Buffer, RIC Ellipse Buffer, RIC Polygon Buffer and Variable Width Buffer.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Example of the Spatial Extent of Line-based Network Buffers, Polygon Network Buffers and Circular Buffers Used in the Study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Brownson RC, Hoehner CM, Day K, Forsyth A, Sallis JF. Measuring the built environment for physical activity state of the science. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 2009;36(4):99–123. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.01.005. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Humphrey NP. Does the built environment influence physical activity? Transportation Research Board Special Report, TR News. 2005;237:31–33.
    1. Handy SL, Cao X, Mokhtarian PL. The causal influence of neighborhood design on physical activity within the neighborhood: evidence from Northern California. Am J Health Promot. 2008;22(5):350–358. doi: 10.4278/ajhp.22.5.350. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Michael Y, Beard T, Choi D, Farquhar S, Carlson N. Measuring the influence of built neighborhood environments on walking in older adults. J Aging Phys Act. 2006;14:302–312. - PubMed
    1. Pikora TJ, Giles-Corti B, Knuiman MW, Bull FC, Jamrozik K, Donovan R. Neighborhood environmental factors correlated with walking near home: using spaces. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercis. 2006;38(4):708–714. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources