Research
Assessment of environmental correlates of physical activity: development of a European questionnaire
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* Corresponding author: Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij ilse.debourdeaudhuij@ugent.be
1 Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
2 Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
3 Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, UMR INSERM U557/INRA U1125/CNAM/University Paris 13, CRNH IdF, 93017 Bobigny, France
4 Department of Nutrition, Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital (AP-HP), University Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, 75013 Paris, France
5 National Obesity Observatory, 4150 Chancellor Court, Oxford, OX4 2GX, UK
6 Urho Kaleva Kekkonen Institute for Health Promotion Research, FIN-33500 Tampere, Finland
7 Karolinska Institute, Department of Biosciences, Preventive Nutrition, Novum, 141 57 Huddinge, Sweden
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2009, 6:39 doi:10.1186/1479-5868-6-39
Published: 6 July 2009Abstract
Background
Research on the influence of the physical environment on physical activity is rapidly expanding and different measures of environmental perceptions have been developed, mostly in the US and Australia. The purpose of this paper is to (i) provide a literature review of measures of environmental perceptions recently used in European studies and (ii) develop a questionnaire for population monitoring purposes in the European countries.
Methods
This study was done within the framework of the EU-funded project 'Instruments for Assessing Levels of Physical Activity and Fitness (ALPHA)', which aims to propose standardised instruments for physical activity and fitness monitoring across Europe. Quantitative studies published from 1990 up to November 2007 were systematically searched in Pubmed, Web of Science, TRIS and Geobase. In addition a survey was conducted among members of the European network for the promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA Europe) and European members of the International Physical Activity and Environment Network (IPEN) to identify published or ongoing studies. Studies were included if they were conducted among European general adult population (18+y) and used a questionnaire to assess perceptions of the physical environment. A consensus meeting with an international expert group was organised to discuss the development of a European environmental questionnaire.
Results
The literature search resulted in 23 European studies, 15 published and 8 unpublished. In these studies, 13 different environmental questionnaires were used. Most of these studies used adapted versions of questionnaires that were developed outside Europe and that focused only on the walkability construct: The Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS), the abbreviated version of the NEWS (ANEWS) and the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study (NQLS) questionnaire have been most commonly used. Based on the results of the literature review and the output of the meeting with international experts, a European environmental questionnaire with 49 items was developed.
Conclusion
There is need for a greater degree of standardization in instruments/methods used to assess environmental correlates of physical activity, taking into account the European-specific situation. A first step in this process is taken by the development of a European environmental questionnaire.