Measuring the built environment: validity of a site survey instrument for use in urban settings

TY - JOUR

T1 - Measuring the built environment: validity of a site survey instrument for use in urban settings

AU - Weich, S

AU - Burton, E

AU - Blanchard, M

AU - Prince, M

AU - Sproston, K

AU - Erens, B

PY - 2001

Y1 - 2001

N2 - There are few reliable measures of place with which to study the effects of socio-economic context on health. We report on the development and inter-rater reliability of a 27-item observer-rated built environment site survey checklist (BESSC). Across eleven 'housing areas' (defined as areas of homogeneity in housing form) and two raters, kappa coefficients were greater than or equal to0.5 for fifteen categorical items, and intra-class correlation coefficients exceeded 0.6 for a further three continuous measures. Ratings on several BESSC items were associated to a statistically significant degree with the prevalence of depression and residents' dissatisfaction with 'their area as a place to live'. BESSC items may prove to be valuable descriptors of the urban built environment in future studies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

AB - There are few reliable measures of place with which to study the effects of socio-economic context on health. We report on the development and inter-rater reliability of a 27-item observer-rated built environment site survey checklist (BESSC). Across eleven 'housing areas' (defined as areas of homogeneity in housing form) and two raters, kappa coefficients were greater than or equal to0.5 for fifteen categorical items, and intra-class correlation coefficients exceeded 0.6 for a further three continuous measures. Ratings on several BESSC items were associated to a statistically significant degree with the prevalence of depression and residents' dissatisfaction with 'their area as a place to live'. BESSC items may prove to be valuable descriptors of the urban built environment in future studies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034778655&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/S1353-8292(01)00019-3

DO - 10.1016/S1353-8292(01)00019-3

M3 - Article

VL - 7

SP - 283

EP - 292

JO - HEALTH AND PLACE

JF - HEALTH AND PLACE

IS - 4

ER -