Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice
Abstract Background Walkability is a popular term used to describe aspects of the built and social environment that have important population-level impacts on physical activity, energy balance, and health. Although the term is widely used by researchers, practitioners, and the general public, and mu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12747-3 |
| _version_ | 1819236739526426624 |
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| author | Melissa Tobin Samantha Hajna Kassia Orychock Nancy Ross Megan DeVries Paul J. Villeneuve Lawrence D. Frank Gavin R. McCormack Rania Wasfi Madeleine Steinmetz-Wood Jason Gilliland Gillian L. Booth Meghan Winters Yan Kestens Kevin Manaugh Daniel Rainham Lise Gauvin Michael J. Widener Nazeem Muhajarine Hui Luan Daniel Fuller |
| author_facet | Melissa Tobin Samantha Hajna Kassia Orychock Nancy Ross Megan DeVries Paul J. Villeneuve Lawrence D. Frank Gavin R. McCormack Rania Wasfi Madeleine Steinmetz-Wood Jason Gilliland Gillian L. Booth Meghan Winters Yan Kestens Kevin Manaugh Daniel Rainham Lise Gauvin Michael J. Widener Nazeem Muhajarine Hui Luan Daniel Fuller |
| author_sort | Melissa Tobin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Walkability is a popular term used to describe aspects of the built and social environment that have important population-level impacts on physical activity, energy balance, and health. Although the term is widely used by researchers, practitioners, and the general public, and multiple operational definitions and walkability measurement tools exist, there are is no agreed-upon conceptual definition of walkability. Method To address this gap, researchers from Memorial University of Newfoundland hosted “The Future of Walkability Measures Workshop” in association with researchers from the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) in November 2017. During the workshop, trainees, researchers, and practitioners worked together in small groups to iteratively develop and reach consensus about a conceptual definition and name for walkability. The objective of this paper was to discuss and propose a conceptual definition of walkability and related concepts. Results In discussions during the workshop, it became clear that the term walkability leads to a narrow conception of the environmental features associated with health as it inherently focuses on walking. As a result, we suggest that the term Active Living Environments, as has been previously proposed in the literature, are more appropriate. We define Active Living Environments (ALEs) as the emergent natural, built, and social properties of neighbourhoods that promote physical activity and health and allow for equitable access to health-enhancing resources. Conclusions We believe that this broader conceptualization allows for a more comprehensive understanding of how built, natural, and social environments can contribute to improved health for all members of the population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T13:09:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cfa7077896c84b5d8e18584d134bcfe0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T13:09:13Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-cfa7077896c84b5d8e18584d134bcfe02022-12-21T17:45:48ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582022-03-012211710.1186/s12889-022-12747-3Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practiceMelissa Tobin0Samantha Hajna1Kassia Orychock2Nancy Ross3Megan DeVries4Paul J. Villeneuve5Lawrence D. Frank6Gavin R. McCormack7Rania Wasfi8Madeleine Steinmetz-Wood9Jason Gilliland10Gillian L. Booth11Meghan Winters12Yan Kestens13Kevin Manaugh14Daniel Rainham15Lise Gauvin16Michael J. Widener17Nazeem Muhajarine18Hui Luan19Daniel Fuller20School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of NewfoundlandMRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, School of Clinical Medicine, University of CambridgeSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of NewfoundlandDepartment of Geography, McGill UniversitySchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of NewfoundlandSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, Carleton UniversitySchool of Population and Public Health, University of British ColumbiaCumming School of Medicine, University of CalgaryDepartment of Geography, McGill UniversityDepartment of Geography, McGill UniversityDepartment of Geography, Western UniversityDepartment of Medicine, University of TorontoFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityÉcole de Santé Publique de L’Université de Montréal (ESPUM)Department of Geography, McGill UniversitySchool of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie UniversityÉcole de Santé Publique de L’Université de Montréal (ESPUM)Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto - St. GeorgeDepartment of Community Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of SaskatchewanDepartment of Geography, College of Arts and Science, University of OregonSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of NewfoundlandAbstract Background Walkability is a popular term used to describe aspects of the built and social environment that have important population-level impacts on physical activity, energy balance, and health. Although the term is widely used by researchers, practitioners, and the general public, and multiple operational definitions and walkability measurement tools exist, there are is no agreed-upon conceptual definition of walkability. Method To address this gap, researchers from Memorial University of Newfoundland hosted “The Future of Walkability Measures Workshop” in association with researchers from the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) in November 2017. During the workshop, trainees, researchers, and practitioners worked together in small groups to iteratively develop and reach consensus about a conceptual definition and name for walkability. The objective of this paper was to discuss and propose a conceptual definition of walkability and related concepts. Results In discussions during the workshop, it became clear that the term walkability leads to a narrow conception of the environmental features associated with health as it inherently focuses on walking. As a result, we suggest that the term Active Living Environments, as has been previously proposed in the literature, are more appropriate. We define Active Living Environments (ALEs) as the emergent natural, built, and social properties of neighbourhoods that promote physical activity and health and allow for equitable access to health-enhancing resources. Conclusions We believe that this broader conceptualization allows for a more comprehensive understanding of how built, natural, and social environments can contribute to improved health for all members of the population.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12747-3Active transportBuilt environmentHealthNatural environmentNeighbourhoodSocial environment |
| spellingShingle | Melissa Tobin Samantha Hajna Kassia Orychock Nancy Ross Megan DeVries Paul J. Villeneuve Lawrence D. Frank Gavin R. McCormack Rania Wasfi Madeleine Steinmetz-Wood Jason Gilliland Gillian L. Booth Meghan Winters Yan Kestens Kevin Manaugh Daniel Rainham Lise Gauvin Michael J. Widener Nazeem Muhajarine Hui Luan Daniel Fuller Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice BMC Public Health Active transport Built environment Health Natural environment Neighbourhood Social environment |
| title | Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice |
| title_full | Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice |
| title_fullStr | Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice |
| title_short | Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice |
| title_sort | rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice |
| topic | Active transport Built environment Health Natural environment Neighbourhood Social environment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12747-3 |
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