scholarly journals Different neighborhood walkability indexes for active commuting to school are necessary for urban and rural children and adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Molina-García ◽  
Sergio Campos ◽  
Xavier García-Massó ◽  
Manuel Herrador-Colmenero ◽  
Patricia Gálvez-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Children ◽  
Active Commuting ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Neighborhood Walkability ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
Macro Scale

Abstract Background Literature focusing on youth has reported limited evidence and non-conclusive associations between neighborhood walkability measures and active commuting to and from school (ACS). Moreover, there is a lack of studies evaluating both macro- and micro-scale environmental factors of the neighborhood when ACS is analyzed. Likewise, most studies on built environment attributes and ACS focus on urban areas, whereas there is a lack of studies analyzing rural residential locations. Moreover, the relationship between built environment attributes and ACS may differ in children and adolescents. Hence, this study aimed to develop walkability indexes in relation to ACS for urban and rural children and adolescents, including both macro- and micro-scale school-neighborhood factors. Methods A cross-sectional study of 4593 participants from Spain with a mean age of 12.2 (SD 3.6) years was carried out. Macro-scale environmental factors were evaluated using geographic information system data, and micro-scale factors were measured using observational procedures. Socio-demographic characteristics and ACS were assessed with a questionnaire. Several linear regression models were conducted, including all the possible combinations of six or less built environment factors in order to find the best walkability index. Results Analyses showed that intersection density, number of four-way intersections, and residential density were positively related to ACS in urban participants, but negatively in rural participants. In rural children, positive streetscape characteristics, number of regulated crossings, traffic calming features, traffic lanes, and parking street buffers were also negatively related to ACS. In urban participants, other different factors were positively related to ACS: number of regulated crossings, positive streetscape characteristics, or crossing quality. Land use mix acted as a positive predictor only in urban adolescents. Distance to the school was a negative predictor on all the walkability indexes. However, aesthetic and social characteristics were not included in any of the indexes. Conclusions Interventions focusing on improving built environments to increase ACS behavior need to have a better understanding of the walkability components that are specifically relevant to urban or rural samples.

scholarly journals A GIS-Based Method for Analysing the Association Between School-Built Environment and Home-School Route Measures with Active Commuting to School in Urban Children and Adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Sergio Campos-Sánchez ◽  
Francisco Javier Abarca-Álvarez ◽  
Javier Molina-García ◽  
Palma Chillón
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Roc Curves ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Home School ◽  
Active Commuting ◽  
Key Factor

In the current call for a greater human health and well-being as a sustainable development goal, to encourage active commuting to and from school (ACS) seems to be a key factor. Research focusing on the analysis of the association between environmental factors and ACS in children and adolescents has reported limited and inconclusive evidence, so more knowledge is needed about it. The main aim of this study is to examine the association between different built environmental factors of both school neighbourhood and home-school route with ACS of children and adolescents belonging to urban areas. The ACS level was evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire. Built environment variables (i.e., density of residents, street connectivity and mixed land use) within a school catchment area and home-school route characteristics (i.e., distance and pedestrian route directness—PRD) were measured using a geographic information system (GIS) and examined together with ACS levels. Subsequently, the association between environmental factors and ACS was analysed by binary logistic regression. Several cut-off points of the route measures were explored using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In addition, the PRD was further studied regarding different thresholds. The results showed that 70.5% of the participants were active and there were significant associations between most environmental factors and ACS. Most participants walked to school when routes were short (distance variable in children: OR = 0.980; p = 0.038; and adolescents: OR = 0.866; p < 0.001) and partially direct (PRD variable in children: OR = 11.334; p < 0.001; and adolescents: OR = 3.513; p < 0.001), the latter specially for children. Mixed land uses (OR = 2.037; p < 0.001) and a high density of street intersections (OR = 1.640; p < 0.001) clearly encouraged adolescents walking and slightly discouraged children walking (OR = 0.657, p = 0.010; and OR = 0.692, p = 0.025, respectively). The assessment of ACS together with the environmental factors using GIS separately for children and adolescents can inform future friendly and sustainable communities.

Neighborhood Built Environment and Socioeconomic Status in Relation to Active Commuting to School in Children

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 761-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Molina-García ◽  
Ana Queralt
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Active Commuting ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Neighborhood Walkability ◽  
Active Commuting To School ◽  
Children's Home ◽  
Neighborhood Built Environment

Background:The role of neighborhood type in active commuting to school (ACS) has not been extensively studied in children. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between neighborhood built environment (walkability) and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) with ACS among children.Methods:A cross-sectional study of 310 Spanish children (aged 10–12 y; 51% male) was conducted in 2015. Walkability was defined as an index of 3 built environment characteristics (ie, residential density, land-use mix, and street connectivity) based on geographical information system data. Children’s home and school neighborhoods were evaluated. ACS was evaluated by questionnaire. Mixed model regression analyses evaluated ACS in relation to neighborhood walkability and SES.Results:There were no significant SES–walkability interactions for ACS. Children living in more walkable neighborhoods reported 2.5 more trips per week compared with those living in less walkable neighborhoods (P < .001). Children attending schools located in lower SES neighborhoods reported more ACS trips per week than those attending schools in higher SES neighborhoods (P < .05).Conclusions:Home-neighborhood walkability and school-neighborhood SES were associated with ACS. This study highlights the importance of assessing children’s home environment and school environment when ACS behavior is analyzed.

Modernization and Rural Population Movements: Western Puerto Rico

1979 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice J. Monk ◽  
Charles S. Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spatial Diffusion ◽  
Population Movements ◽  
Intermediate Scale ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Macro Scale

In geographic studies of modernization, attention has tended to focus on the processes of urbanization and the characteristics of urban areas rather than on rural areas. The latter have been included in macro-scale studies such as those of Gould and Soja in Africa investigating the spatial diffusion of modernization. In their studies of change in the Pacific, Brookfield (1973) and his associates also worked in rural communities, concentrating on the micro-scale. In research dealing with change in rural Latin America, emphasis has been on colonization studies and ruralurban migration, (Parsons, 1973; Preston, 1974; Stouse, 1971) but study of the effects of urbanization on change within a traditional rural areas has been neglected. Further, there have been few attempts in research on modernization to integrate macro and micro studies or to work at an intermediate scale.

scholarly journals Body | Movement | Architecture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Dinushi Kumarawansa
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Direct Relationship ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
The Body ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Dynamic Architecture ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Static Nature ◽  
Personal Engagement

<p>Architecture is considered a permanent and solid structure incapable of responding and adapting to the constant changing needs of the user. This thesis questions the static nature of architecture and instead seeks to create a typology of flexible and dynamic architecture which engages the body with the built environment. The thesis focuses on the direct relationship between the body’s movement and architecture to understand how spatial experiences can be created in the built environment. In order to answer the thesis question how can movement be used to engage the body with architecture, investigations into architecture at the micro, medium and macro scale were completed. Two strategies of using movement; the physical and the contained (“conception/perception of movement in the architecture” ) have been explored to understand which strategies work best at what scale. This inquiry into how movement engages the body with architecture was investigated using a design through research methodology . An iterative design process including model making, photography and sketches was used to create a body of work that tests architecture and movement. The results of this inquiry into movement in architecture were three architectural outcomes at three scales. Firstly the design of a mobile installation tested the user’s personal engagement with architecture at a micro scale. Secondly a medium scale house was designed to test how movement could be used to create different experiences in one space. Finally the findings of these two outcomes were incorporated into the design of a macro scale transport hub that used movement to create spatial experiences and engagement for the user. The use of movement in architecture, enables user to have an engagement with architecture through the varying spatial experiences created in the space.</p>

scholarly journals Body | Movement | Architecture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Dinushi Kumarawansa
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Direct Relationship ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
The Body ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Dynamic Architecture ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Static Nature ◽  
Personal Engagement

<p>Architecture is considered a permanent and solid structure incapable of responding and adapting to the constant changing needs of the user. This thesis questions the static nature of architecture and instead seeks to create a typology of flexible and dynamic architecture which engages the body with the built environment. The thesis focuses on the direct relationship between the body’s movement and architecture to understand how spatial experiences can be created in the built environment. In order to answer the thesis question how can movement be used to engage the body with architecture, investigations into architecture at the micro, medium and macro scale were completed. Two strategies of using movement; the physical and the contained (“conception/perception of movement in the architecture” ) have been explored to understand which strategies work best at what scale. This inquiry into how movement engages the body with architecture was investigated using a design through research methodology . An iterative design process including model making, photography and sketches was used to create a body of work that tests architecture and movement. The results of this inquiry into movement in architecture were three architectural outcomes at three scales. Firstly the design of a mobile installation tested the user’s personal engagement with architecture at a micro scale. Secondly a medium scale house was designed to test how movement could be used to create different experiences in one space. Finally the findings of these two outcomes were incorporated into the design of a macro scale transport hub that used movement to create spatial experiences and engagement for the user. The use of movement in architecture, enables user to have an engagement with architecture through the varying spatial experiences created in the space.</p>

scholarly journals Active Commuting, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behaviors in Children and Adolescents from Spain: Findings from the ANIBES Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Aparicio-Ugarriza ◽  
Juan Mielgo-Ayuso ◽  
Emma Ruiz ◽  
José Manuel Ávila ◽  
Javier Aranceta-Bartrina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Active Commuting ◽  
Sedentary Behaviors ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Ac Motor

Active commuting (AC) has been proposed as a great opportunity to increase physical activity level (PA) in children and adolescents. The aim of the present study is to determine the associations between AC (walk and cycle commuting) and non-AC (motor vehicle commuting) with PA levels, and with AC and sedentarism in Spanish children and adolescents. A representative Spanish sample of 424 children and adolescents (38% females) was involved in the ANIBES (Anthropometry, Dietary Intake and Lifestyle in Spain) Study in 2013. Data on the levels of AC, non-AC, PA, and sedentarism were obtained using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for adolescents. Stepwise backward univariate generalized linear and linear regression models were performed. In girls, walking was associated with playground PA, moderate PA, and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) (β = 0.007, p < 0.05; both β = 0.007, p < 0.01), respectively. In boys, walking was associated with all PA levels (p < 0.05); while cycling was related to moderate PA and MVPA (both β = 0.007, p < 0.05). A negative significant association was observed between AC and time spent studying without Internet use in boys (β = −0.184, p < 0.05). Commuting by walking contributes to increased daily PA in both sexes, whereas cycling was only related to moderate PA and MVPA in boys. Sedentary behaviors are not related to AC, but studying without Internet use was negatively associated with AC in boys.

scholarly journals Assessing Microscale Environmental Changes: CORINE Vs. The Urban Atlas

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandru-Ionuţ Petrişor ◽  
Liliana Elza Petrişor
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Transitional Dynamics ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
Macro Scale

AbstractApplying geostatistical approaches to spatial data is a common method for assessing the transitional dynamics of land cover and use changes induced by human activities. However, the relevance of results depends largely on the quality of data. CORINE data have showed their utility in assessing long term changes at the macro-scale, but their use at the micro-scale is impeded by the spatial resolution and changes in the methodology of obtaining them. Recently, new data from the Urban Atlas were provided at a greater resolution for urban areas. In an attempt to assess their potential for analyzing transitional dynamics at the micro-scale, this paper compared the two data sets using the case study of Bucharest. The results indicate that the Urban Atlas does a better job in surprising the fragmentation of land in urban areas, and providing the real extent of specific features diminished by CORINE.

scholarly journals ACTIVE TRAVEL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF ELDERLY: A REVIEW

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (26) ◽  
pp. 281-299
Author(s):  
JinHua Li ◽  
Siti Hajar Misnan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Active Travel ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Key Factor

The built environment is considered to be a key factor to promote the active travel (AT) of the elderly in neighbourhood. This study seeks to comprehensively identify the built environmental factors influencing active travel and to show how those environmental factors impact active travel the old adults. It reviewed the literature on neighbourhood-built environmental correlated with AT among older adults. The study found that most of the research concentrated on walking, which was associated with density, land use mix, connectivity access to services, friendly infrastructure，aesthetics，destination，safety. The results showed that the research was concentrated in developed areas and countries, developing countries were seldomly involved. Related research was mainly carried out in urban areas especially in the metropolitan area. The weather has been reported as an important factor in the elderly’s travel but was not widely tested before. Information technology has a wide-ranging impact on the activities of urban residents and the increase of online leisure activities can also reduce the daily non-essential travel time of residents. In future research, more attention needs to be paid to developing areas, small city, and rural communities. ICT changed the way people live, the interaction with other humans, and physical space, it also needs to pay more attention in this field.

scholarly journals Prevalence and factors associated with hypertension among school children and adolescents in urban and semi‐urban areas in Cameroon

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Nadège Nganou‐Gnindjio ◽  
Doris Bibi Essama ◽  
Jan René Nkeck ◽  
Patrick Yvan Tchebegna ◽  
Kiliane Maeva Tchatchouang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
School Children ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Factors Associated

scholarly journals 2D-wavelet based micro and macro texture analysis for asphalt pavement under snow or ice condition

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Li ◽  
Gulnigar Ablat ◽  
Siqi Zhou ◽  
Yixin Liu ◽  
Yufeng Bi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wavelet Transform ◽  
Asphalt Pavement ◽  
Asphalt Mixture ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
Braking System ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Texture Characteristics ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Resistance Performance

AbstractIn ice and snow weather, the surface texture characteristics of asphalt pavement change, which will significantly affect the skid resistance performance of asphalt pavement. In this study, five asphalt mixture types of AC-5, AC-13, AC-16, SMA-13, SMA-16 were prepared under three conditions of the original state, ice and snow. In this paper, a 2D-wavelet transform approach is proposed to characterize the micro and macro texture of pavement. The Normalized Energy (NE) is proposed to describe the pavement texture quantitatively. Compared with the mean texture depth (MTD), NE has the advantages of full coverage, full automation and wide analytical scale. The results show that snow increases the micro-scale texture because of its fluffiness, while the formation of the ice sheets on the surface reduces the micro-scale texture. The filling effect of snow and ice reduces the macro-scale texture of the pavement surface. In a follow-up study, the 2D-wavelet transform approach can be applied to improve the intelligent driving braking system, which can provide pavement texture information for the safe braking strategy of driverless vehicles.

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