Brussels - November 19 th 2015 Symposium on Obesogenic environments TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MEASURING THE OBESOGENIC ENVIRONMENT Workpackage 3
Obesogenic environment(s) Obesity ENVIRONMENT Physical/built Parks Sports equipments Transport infrastructure (cycle paths, walking trails ) INDIVIDUAL Obesity related BEHAVIOURS Diet, Physical activity sedentary behaviour, sleep Environmental PERCEPTIONS Food outlets Restaurants Social (SES )
3 Physical environment and weight status Urban sprawl Land use mix Mackenbach et al. BMC Public Health 2014
4 Physical environment and weight status Urban sprawl Land use mix What else?
Measuring the obesogenic environment ENVIRONMENT (objective measures) Social Physical INDIVIDUAL Obesity related behaviors Environmental perception Obesity Neighborhood audit Individual survey
Measuring the obesogenic environment ENVIRONMENT (objective measures) Social Physical INDIVIDUAL Obesity related behaviors Environmental perception Obesity Neighborhood audit Individual survey Virtual audit At neighborhood level Online Bethlehem et al., 2014 Charreire et al., 2014 Lakerveld, 2012, 2015
Measuring the obesogenic environment across European regions ENVIRONMENT (objective measures) Social Physical INDIVIDUAL Obesity related behaviors Environmental perception Obesity Neighborhood audit Individual survey Virtual audit At neighborhood level Online Bethlehem et al., 2014 Charreire et al., 2014 Lakerveld, 2012, 2015
8 Defining neighbourhoods 5 URBAN REGIONS 2 CHARACTERISTICS Residential density - A central component of both urban sprawl and land use mix - Percentage of coverage of buildings devoted to residential facilities - Available at European level from the European Urban Atlas dataset Median income (SES) 4 TYPES : Low / High Density X SES Lakerveld et al. BMJ Open 2015
Sampling neighborhoods Random selection 3 neighborhoods by nghb type 12 neighborhoods by region Total: 60 neighborhoods Neighborhood audit Individual survey Virtual audit In 5 European cities Online
Assessing neighborhoods Satellite and aerial images -Google Earth (2005) -Bing Maps (2009) Free geospatial services Panoramic views at the street-level or eye level -Google Street View (2007) - Street Side (2009) Ghent University The front of the Ghent University
Google Street View availabity in November 2015
Virtual audit The SPOTLIGHT virtual audit tool Google Street View Bethlehem et al. Int J Health Geographics 2014
Virtual audit vs. Field audit Presence Agreement Walking related items 97 % Cycling related items 94.4 % Public transport 98.9 % Aesthetics 87.3 % Food outlets 99.9 % Physical activity facilities 97.1 % Overall 95.6 % 128 street segments 4 Dutch urban neighbourhoods Bethlehem et al. Int J Health Geographics 2014
Virtual audit ADVANTAGES LIMITATIONS Easy and free to use especially in large areas Time saved especially travel time Safe alternative especially in unsafe neighborhood Uncovered areas Temporal variability: time of day, season, weather Date of data collection (update) Obstructed view Charreire et al. Health Place 2014
Virtual audit The SPOTLIGHT virtual audit 60 nghb in 5 regions Neighbourhood typology 4,486 street segments Feuillet et al. In revision 2015
The SPOTLIGHT survey Simple demographics Physical activity Sedentary behaviour Food habits Sleep habits 50 questions Attachment to neighbourhood Place and choice of destinations «Social capital» Self-rated health Self-reported weight and height
Place and choice of destination Are any of the following local business or facilities present in your neighbourhood (as drawn in the map in the last question)? If present, please indicate whether you used these facilities in the last month? (Present/Used Present/not used Not Present) a. Supermarket b. Local shop (grocery shop, bakery, butcher, fruit/vegetable shop etc.) c. Restaurant, café or bar d. Fast-food restaurant or take-away e. Open recreation area (such as a park or playing field) f. Leisure facility such as gym, swimming pool I chose to use that particular location because of (Select the most important reason) a. Distance from home b. It is on my route / way to somewhere else c. Price d. My friends/relatives go there e. It is a nice place f. Parking g. Other..
18 Self-defined neighborhoods Please draw the boundaries of what you regard as your neighborhood on the map below
Charreire et al. In preparation
Conclusions New tools and measures developed To assess environmental characteristics potentially associated with obesity Objective aspects (virtual audit) Perceptions (neighbourhood limits) Individual choices (mode of transport and food outlets) With the aim to refine our understanding of the interactions between environmental and individual influences in the development of obesity to design new strategies for interventions to address the issue of obesity at different scales in Europe
Thank you! 21