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Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System

Kerfeld, Cheryl I.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Bjornson, Kristie F. (2021). Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 33(2), 92 – 99.

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Abstract

Purpose: To explore the usefulness of combining accelerometry, global positioning systems, and geographic information systems, to describe the time spent in different locations and physical activity (PA) duration/count levels by location for 4 children with cerebral palsy (CP) who use assistive devices (AD). Methods: A descriptive multiple-case study. Results: Combining the 3 instruments was useful in describing and differentiating duration by location, and amount and location of PA across differing functional levels and AD. For example, the child classified with a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level II exhibited large amounts of PA in community settings. In contrast, the child classified with a GMFCS level V had small amounts of PA and spent most measured time at home. Conclusions: Combined accelerometry, global positioning system, and geographic information system have potential to capture time spent and amount/intensity of PA relative to locations within daily environments for children with CP who use AD.

Keywords

Cerebral-palsy; Objective Measures; Fitness; Youth; Disabilities; Adolescents; Exercise; Adults; Accelerometer; Cerebral Palsy; Environment; Global Positioning System; Mobility Assistive Devices; Physical Activity

Associations of Cannabis Retail Outlet Availability and Neighborhood Disadvantage with Cannabis Use and Related Risk Factors Among Young Adults in Washington State

Rhew, Isaac C.; Guttmannova, Katarina; Kilmer, Jason R.; Fleming, Charles B.; Hultgren, Brittney A.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Dilley, Julia A.; Larimer, Mary E. (2022). Associations of Cannabis Retail Outlet Availability and Neighborhood Disadvantage with Cannabis Use and Related Risk Factors Among Young Adults in Washington State. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 232.

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Abstract

Background: This study examined associations of local cannabis retail outlet availability and neighborhood disadvantage with cannabis use and related risk factors among young adults. Methods: Data were from annual cross-sectional surveys administered from 2015 to 2019 to individuals ages 18-25 residing in Washington State (N = 10,009). As outcomes, this study assessed self-reported cannabis use at different margins/frequencies (any past year, at least monthly, at least weekly, at least daily) and perceived ease of access to cannabis and acceptability of cannabis use in the community. Cannabis retail outlet availability was defined as the presence of at least one retail outlet within a 1-kilometer road network buffer of one's residence. Sensitivity analyses explored four other spatial metrics to define outlet availability (any outlet within 0.5-km, 2-km, and the census tract; and census tract density per 1000 residents). Census tract level disadvantage was a composite of five US census variables. Results: Adjusting for individual- and area-level covariates, living within 1-kilometer of at least one cannabis retail outlet was statistically significantly associated with any past year and at least monthly cannabis use as well as high perceived access to cannabis. Results using a 2-km buffer and census tract-level metrics for retail outlet availability showed similar findings. Neighborhood disadvantage was statistically significantly associated with at least weekly and at least daily cannabis use and with greater perceived acceptability of cannabis use. Conclusions: Results may have implications for regulatory and prevention strategies to reduce the population burden of cannabis use and related harms.

Keywords

Outlet Stores; Young Adults; Neighborhoods; Older People; Sensitivity Analysis; Washington (state); Cannabis; Cannabis Retail Outlets; Neighborhood Disadvantage; Alcohol-use; Marijuana Use; Density; Proximity; Health; Norms

Regional Governance, Local Fragmentation, and Administrative Division Adjustment: Spatial Integration in Changzhou

Zhen, Feng; Shen, Qing; Jian, Boxiu; Zheng, Jun. (2010). Regional Governance, Local Fragmentation, and Administrative Division Adjustment: Spatial Integration in Changzhou. China Review-an Interdisciplinary Journal On Greater China, 10(1), 95 – 128.

Abstract

Although the current practice of administrative division adjustment in China may help to facilitate regional governance and urbanization economies, it does not effectively resolve the fundamental conflicts between the central city and surrounding county-level cities. This paper examines the impacts of administrative division adjustment on economic development in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, by focusing on the city's development zones. It identifies major problems in the development zones and explores the major institutional, policy, sociocultural, and spatial planning factors underlying these problems. It further proposes several approaches for the spatial integration of development zones, from the perspectives of institution, policy, and space, with broader implications that go well beyond the Changzhou case.

Keywords

River Delta; Transition

Home Versus Nonhome Neighborhood: Quantifying Differences in Exposure to the Built Environment

Hurvitz, Philip M.; Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2012). Home Versus Nonhome Neighborhood: Quantifying Differences in Exposure to the Built Environment. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine, 42(4), 411 – 417.

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Abstract

Background: Built environment and health research have focused on characteristics of home neighborhoods, whereas overall environmental exposures occur over larger spatial ranges. Purpose: Differences in built environment characteristics were analyzed for home and nonhome locations using GPS data. Methods: GPS data collected in 2007-2008 were analyzed for 41 subjects in the Seattle area in 2010. Environmental characteristics for 3.8 million locations were measured using novel GIS data sets called SmartMaps, representing spatially continuous values of local built environment variables in the domains of neighborhood composition, utilitarian destinations, transportation infrastructure, and traffic conditions. Using bootstrap sampling, CIs were estimated for differences in built environment values for home (1666 m) GPS locations. Results: Home and nonhome built environment values were significantly different for more than 90% of variables across subjects (p < 0.001). Only 51% of subjects had higher counts of supermarkets near than away from home. Different measures of neighborhood parks yielded varying results. Conclusions: SmartMaps helped measure local built environment characteristics for a large set of GPS locations. Most subjects had significantly different home and nonhome built environment exposures. Considering the full range of individuals' environmental exposures may improve understanding of effects of the built environment on behavior and health outcomes. (Am J Prev Med 2012;42(4):411-417) (C) 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Keywords

Built Environment; Public Health Research; Individual Differences; Neighborhoods; Environmental Exposure; Health Of Homeless People; Global Positioning System; Data Analysis; Quantitative Research; Seattle (wash.); Washington (state); Geographic Information-systems; Global Positioning Systems; Physical-activity; Health Research; Urban Form; Land-use; Associations; Transportation; Availability; Walkability

To Inhabit Well: Counterhegemonic Movements and the Right to the City

Purcell, Mark. (2013). To Inhabit Well: Counterhegemonic Movements and the Right to the City. Urban Geography, 34(4), 560 – 574.

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Abstract

A right to the city, understood as a conjoint claim to a right to inhabit urban space well, can be an effective starting point from which diverse urban movements can begin to build broad counterhegemonic coalitions for alternative urban futures. In this article, I argue that the right to the city supports the project of establishing relations of equivalence among members of coalitions--balancing relations of sameness/difference and interdependence/autonomy.

Keywords

Right To The City; Urban Social Movements; Autogestion; Urban Politics

Relation between Higher Physical Activity and Public Transit Use

Saelens, Brian E.; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Kang, Bumjoon; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Zhou, Chuan. (2014). Relation between Higher Physical Activity and Public Transit Use. American Journal Of Public Health, 104(5), 854 – 859.

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Abstract

Objectives. We isolated physical activity attributable to transit use to examine issues of substitution between types of physical activity and potential confounding of transit-related walking with other walking. Methods. Physical activity and transit use data were collected in 2008 to 2009 from 693 Travel Assessment and Community study participants from King County, Washington, equipped with an accelerometer, a portable Global Positioning System, and a 7-day travel log. Physical activity was classified into transit-and non-transit-related walking and nonwalking time. Analyses compared physical activity by type between transit users and nonusers, between less and more frequent transit users, and between transit and nontransit days for transit users. Results. Transit users had more daily overall physical activity and more total walking than did nontransit users but did not differ on either non-transit-related walking or nonwalking physical activity. Most frequent transit users had more walking time than least frequent transit users. Higher physical activity levels for transit users were observed only on transit days, with 14.6 minutes (12.4 minutes when adjusted for demographics) of daily physical activity directly linked with transit use. Conclusions. Because transit use was directly related to higher physical activity, future research should examine whether substantive increases in transit access and use lead to more physical activity and related health improvements.

Keywords

Transportation; Analysis Of Covariance; Analysis Of Variance; Chi-squared Test; Comparative Studies; Confidence Intervals; Geographic Information Systems; Research Funding; Statistics; Walking; Data Analysis; Accelerometry; Cross-sectional Method; Exercise Intensity; Physical Activity; Diary (literary Form); Descriptive Statistics; Washington (state); Work; Car; Impact

Multilevel Models for Evaluating the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections and Mid-Blocks

Quistberg, D. Alex; Howard, Eric J.; Ebel, Beth E.; Moudon, Anne V.; Saelens, Brian E.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Curtin, James E.; Rivara, Frederick P. (2015). Multilevel Models for Evaluating the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections and Mid-Blocks. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 84, 99 – 111.

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Abstract

Walking is a popular form of physical activity associated with clear health benefits. Promoting safe walking for pedestrians requires evaluating the risk of pedestrian motor vehicle collisions at specific roadway locations in order to identify where road improvements and other interventions may be needed. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the risk of pedestrian collisions at intersections and mid-blocks in Seattle, WA. The study used 2007-2013 pedestrian motor vehicle collision data from police reports and detailed characteristics of the microenvironment and macroenvironment at intersection and mid-block locations. The primary outcome was the number of pedestrian motor vehicle collisions over time at each location (incident rate ratio [IRR] and 95% confidence interval [95% CI]). Multilevel mixed effects Poisson models accounted for correlation within and between locations and census blocks over time. Analysis accounted for pedestrian and vehicle activity (e.g., residential density and road classification). In the final multivariable model, intersections with 4 segments or 5 or more segments had higher pedestrian collision rates compared to mid-blocks. Non-residential roads had significantly higher rates than residential roads, with principal arterials having the highest collision rate. The pedestrian collision rate was higher by 9% per 10 feet of street width. Locations with traffic signals had twice the collision rate of locations without a signal and those with marked crosswalks also had a higher rate. Locations with a marked crosswalk also had higher risk of collision. Locations with a one-way road or those with signs encouraging motorists to cede the right-of-way to pedestrians had fewer pedestrian collisions. Collision rates were higher in locations that encourage greater pedestrian activity (more bus use, more fast food restaurants, higher employment, residential, and population densities). Locations with higher intersection density had a lower rate of collisions as did those in areas with higher residential property values. The novel spatiotemporal approach used that integrates road/crossing characteristics with surrounding neighborhood characteristics should help city agencies better identify high-risk locations for further study and analysis. Improving roads and making them safer for pedestrians achieves the public health goals of reducing pedestrian collisions and promoting physical activity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Pedestrian Accidents; Road Interchanges & Intersections; Built Environment; Pedestrian Crosswalks; Correlation (statistics); Collision Risk; Multilevel Model; Pedestrians; Geographic Information-systems; Road-traffic Injuries; Physical-activity; Signalized Intersections; Impact Speed; Urban Form; Land-use; Safety; Walking

Who Leaves and Who Stays? A Review and Statistical Meta-Analysis of Hurricane Evacuation Studies

Huang, Shih-kai; Lindell, Michael K.; Prater, Carla S. (2016). Who Leaves and Who Stays? A Review and Statistical Meta-Analysis of Hurricane Evacuation Studies. Environment And Behavior, 48(8), 991 – 1029.

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Abstract

This statistical meta-analysis (SMA) examined 38 studies involving actual responses to hurricane warnings and 11 studies involving expected responses to hypothetical hurricane scenarios conducted since 1991. The results indicate official warnings, mobile home residence, risk area residence, observations of environmental (storm conditions) and social (other people's behavior) cues, and expectations of severe personal impacts, all have consistently significant effects on household evacuation. Other variablesespecially demographic variableshave weaker effects on evacuation, perhaps via indirect effects. Finally, the SMA also indicates that the effect sizes from actual hurricane evacuation studies are similar to those from studies of hypothetical hurricane scenarios for 10 of 17 variables that were examined. These results can be used to guide the design of hurricane evacuation transportation analyses and emergency managers' warning programs. They also suggest that laboratory and Internet experiments could be used to examine people's cognitive processing of different types of hurricane warning messages.

Keywords

Decision-making; Risk; Power; Probability; Information; Perception; Responses; Warnings; Ike; Hurricane Evacuation; Statistical Meta-analysis; Actual Evacuations; Hypothetical Scenarios; Hazard Warnings

Comparing Associations between the Built Environment and Walking in Rural Small Towns and a Large Metropolitan Area

Stewart, Orion T.; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Saelens, Brian E.; Lee, Chanam; Kang, Bumjoon; Doescher, Mark P. (2016). Comparing Associations between the Built Environment and Walking in Rural Small Towns and a Large Metropolitan Area. Environment And Behavior, 48(1), 13 – 36.

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Abstract

The association between the built environment (BE) and walking has been studied extensively in urban areas, yet little is known whether the same associations hold for smaller, rural towns. This analysis examined objective measures of the BE around participants' residence and their utilitarian and recreational walking from two studies, one in the urban Seattle area (n = 464) and the other in nine small U.S. towns (n = 299). After adjusting for sociodemographics, small town residents walked less for utilitarian purposes but more for recreational purposes. These differences were largely explained by differential associations of the BE on walking in the two settings. In Seattle, the number of neighborhood restaurants was positively associated with utilitarian walking, but in small towns, the association was negative. In small towns, perception of slow traffic on nearby streets was positively associated with recreational walking, but not in Seattle. These observations suggest that urban-rural context matters when planning BE interventions to support walking.

Keywords

Physical-activity; Utilitarian Walking; Transportation; Obesity; Adults; Travel; Urban; Prevalence; Strategies; Physical Activity; Walkability; City Planning; Urban Design; Community Health; Gis (geographic Information System); Gps (global Positioning System); Accelerometer; Effect Modification

GPS-Based Exposure to Greenness and Walkability and Accelerometry-Based Physical Activity

James, Peter; Hart, Jaime E.; Hipp, J. Aaron; Mitchell, Jonathan A.; Kerr, Jacqueline; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Glanz, Karen; Laden, Francine. (2017). GPS-Based Exposure to Greenness and Walkability and Accelerometry-Based Physical Activity. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 26(4), 525 – 532.

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Abstract

Background: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for cancer that may be influenced by environmental factors. Indeed, dense and well-connected built environments and environments with natural vegetation may create opportunities for higher routine physical activity. However, studies have focused primarily on residential environments to define exposure and self-reported methods to estimate physical activity. This study explores the momentary association between minute-level global positioning systems (GPS)-based greenness exposure and time-matched objectively measured physical activity. Methods: Adult women were recruited from sites across the United States. Participants wore a GPS device and accelerometer on the hip for 7 days to assess location and physical activity at minutelevel epochs. GPS records were linked to 250mresolution satellitebased vegetation data and Census Block Group-level U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Smart Location Database walkability data. Minute-level generalized additive mixed models were conducted to test for associations between GPS measures and accelerometer count data, accounting for repeated measures within participant and allowing for deviations fromlinearity using splines. Results: Among 360 adult women (mean age of 55.3 +/- 10.2 years), we observed positive nonlinear relationships between physical activity and both greenness and walkability. In exploratory analyses, the relationships between environmental factors and physical activity were strongest among those who were white, had higher incomes, and who were middle-aged. Conclusions: Our results indicate that higher levels of physical activity occurred in areas with higher greenness and higher walkability. Impact: Findings suggest that planning and design policies should focus on these environments to optimize opportunities for physical activity. (C) 2017 AACR.

Keywords

Built Environments; Health Research; Breast-cancer; Obesity; Neighborhood; Validation; Validity; Walking; Risk; Energetics