Comparing self-identified and census-defined neighborhoods among adolescents using GPS and accelerometer

BackgroundNumerous definitions of neighborhood exist, yet few studies have considered youth’s perceptions of neighborhood boundaries. This study compared youth-identified neighborhood (YIN) boundaries to census-defined neighborhood (CDN) boundaries, and determined how the amount of time spent and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels compared within both boundary types.MethodsAdolescents aged 11–14 years were asked to identify their neighborhood boundaries using a map. Objective location and physical activity data collected using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and accelerometers were used to calculate the amount of time spent and MVPA within youth-identified and census-defined neighborhood boundaries. Paired bivariate analyses compared mean area (meters squared), percent of total time, daily MVPA (minutes), time density (minutes/m2) and MVPA density (minutes/m2) for both boundary types.ResultsYouth-identified neighborhoods (1,821,705 m2) and census-defined neighborhoods (1,277,181 m2) were not significantly different in area, p = 0.30. However, subjects spent more time in youth-identified neighborhoods (80.3%) than census-defined neighborhoods (58.4%), p < 0.0001, and engaged in more daily MVPA within youth-identified neighborhoods (14.7 minutes) than census-defined neighborhoods (9.5 minutes), p < 0.0001. After adjusting for boundary area, MVPA density (minutes of MVPA per squared meter of area) remained significantly greater for youth-identified neighborhoods (2.4 × 10-4 minutes/m2) than census-defined neighborhoods (1.4 × 10-4 minutes/m2), p = 0.02.ConclusionsAdolescents perceive their neighborhoods to be similar in size to census-defined neighborhoods. However, youth-identified neighborhoods better capture the locations in which adolescents spend time and engage in physical activity. Asking adolescents to identify their neighborhood boundaries is a feasible and valuable method for identifying the spaces that adolescents are exposed to and use to be physically active.

[1]  Johannes Brug,et al.  Objective and perceived availability of physical activity opportunities: differences in associations with physical activity behavior among urban adolescents , 2009, The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

[2]  Scott Duncan,et al.  Using global positioning systems in health research: a practical approach to data collection and processing. , 2011, American journal of preventive medicine.

[3]  David Ogilvie,et al.  Use of global positioning systems to study physical activity and the environment: a systematic review. , 2011, American journal of preventive medicine.

[4]  K. Berhane,et al.  Childhood obesity and proximity to urban parks and recreational resources: a longitudinal cohort study. , 2011, Health & place.

[5]  Rachel Davey,et al.  What is my walking neighbourhood? A pilot study of English adults' definitions of their local walking neighbourhoods , 2010, The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

[6]  C. Coulton,et al.  Mapping Residents' Perceptions of Neighborhood Boundaries: A Methodological Note , 2001, American journal of community psychology.

[7]  L. Messer,et al.  Conceptualizing neighborhood space: consistency and variation of associations for neighborhood factors and pregnancy health across multiple neighborhood units. , 2012, Health & place.

[8]  Scott Duncan,et al.  Combining GPS, GIS, and accelerometry: methodological issues in the assessment of location and intensity of travel behaviors. , 2010, Journal of physical activity & health.

[9]  Katherine Kaufer Christoffel,et al.  Identification of contrastive and comparable school neighborhoods for childhood obesity and physical activity research , 2006, International journal of health geographics.

[10]  B Chaix,et al.  The influence of geographic life environments on cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review, a methodological assessment and a research agenda , 2011, Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

[11]  B. Giles-Corti,et al.  How far do children travel from their homes? Exploring children's activity spaces in their neighborhood. , 2012, Health & place.

[12]  J. Sallis,et al.  Obesogenic neighborhood environments, child and parent obesity: the Neighborhood Impact on Kids study. , 2012, American journal of preventive medicine.

[13]  N. Colabianchi,et al.  The effect of perceived and structural neighborhood conditions on adolescents' physical activity and sedentary behaviors. , 2010, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[14]  Basile Chaix,et al.  An interactive mapping tool to assess individual mobility patterns in neighborhood studies. , 2012, American journal of preventive medicine.

[15]  Maria Ferrão,et al.  Perceptions of neighborhood environments and childhood obesity: evidence of harmful gender inequities among Portuguese children. , 2013, Health & place.

[16]  Stephen A Matthews,et al.  Spatial Polygamy and Contextual Exposures (SPACEs) , 2013, The American behavioral scientist.

[17]  B. Chaix,et al.  Neighbourhoods in eco-epidemiologic research: delimiting personal exposure areas. A response to Riva, Gauvin, Apparicio and Brodeur. , 2009, Social science & medicine.

[18]  Stewart G Trost,et al.  Comparison of accelerometer cut points for predicting activity intensity in youth. , 2011, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[19]  M. Duncan,et al.  Utility of global positioning system to measure active transport in urban areas. , 2007, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[20]  S. Gortmaker,et al.  Racial differences in the built environment—body mass index relationship? A geospatial analysis of adolescents in urban neighborhoods , 2012, International Journal of Health Geographics.

[21]  N. Colabianchi,et al.  Physical activity and neighborhood resources in high school girls. , 2008, American journal of preventive medicine.

[22]  J. Salmon,et al.  Children's perceptions of their home and neighborhood environments, and their association with objectively measured physical activity: a qualitative and quantitative study. , 2004, Health education research.

[23]  A. Cooper,et al.  Greenspace and children's physical activity: a GPS/GIS analysis of the PEACH project. , 2010, Preventive medicine.

[24]  Charles E Matthews,et al.  The built environment and location-based physical activity. , 2010, American journal of preventive medicine.

[25]  R. Mcmurray,et al.  Calibration of two objective measures of physical activity for children , 2008, Journal of sports sciences.

[26]  R. Flowerdew,et al.  Neighbourhood effects on health: does it matter where you draw the boundaries? , 2008, Social science & medicine.

[27]  Everett M. Rogers,et al.  Innovation Diffusion As a Spatial Process , 1967 .

[28]  J. Tester,et al.  The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children , 2009, Pediatrics.

[29]  Douglas J Wiebe,et al.  Neighborhoods, daily activities, and measuring health risks experienced in urban environments. , 2010, Social science & medicine.

[30]  R. Whitaker,et al.  A National Study of Neighborhood Safety, Outdoor Play, Television Viewing, and Obesity in Preschool Children , 2005, Pediatrics.

[31]  Kelly R Evenson,et al.  Public Parks and Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls , 2006, Pediatrics.

[32]  J. Salmon,et al.  Children's active free play in local neighborhoods: a behavioral mapping study. , 2007, Health education research.

[33]  L. Gauvin,et al.  Toward the next generation of research into small area effects on health: a synthesis of multilevel investigations published since July 1998 , 2007, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

[34]  Philip J Troped,et al.  Portable global positioning units to complement accelerometry-based physical activity monitors. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[35]  JoEllen Wilbur,et al.  Activity space environment and dietary and physical activity behaviors: a pilot study. , 2011, Health & place.

[36]  Edmund Seto,et al.  A study of community design, greenness, and physical activity in children using satellite, GPS and accelerometer data. , 2012, Health & place.

[37]  Anna F Timperio,et al.  International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Understanding Environmental Influences on Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors: Where Should We Look and What Should We Count? , 2022 .

[38]  Basile Chaix,et al.  GPS tracking in neighborhood and health studies: a step forward for environmental exposure assessment, a step backward for causal inference? , 2013, Health & place.

[39]  J. Irwin,et al.  The Influence of Local Food Environments on Adolescents’ Food Purchasing Behaviors , 2012, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[40]  A. Field,et al.  Combining global positioning system and accelerometer data to determine the locations of physical activity in children. , 2012, Geospatial health.

[41]  R. Maddison,et al.  Global positioning system: a new opportunity in physical activity measurement , 2009, The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

[42]  Steven Cummins,et al.  Understanding and representing 'place' in health research: a relational approach. , 2007, Social science & medicine.

[43]  Marsha Dowda,et al.  Towards an understanding of salient neighborhood boundaries: adolescent reports of an easy walking distance and convenient driving distance , 2007, The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

[44]  J. Fortenberry,et al.  International Journal of Health Geographics Open Access Using Gps-enabled Cell Phones to Track the Travel Patterns of Adolescents , 2022 .

[45]  Amy Carroll-Scott,et al.  Disentangling neighborhood contextual associations with child body mass index, diet, and physical activity: the role of built, socioeconomic, and social environments. , 2013, Social science & medicine.

[46]  Martha J. Farah,et al.  Neighborhood disadvantage and adolescent stress reactivity , 2012, Front. Hum. Neurosci..

[47]  Dawn K. Wilson,et al.  Neighborhood and parental supports for physical activity in minority adolescents. , 2011, American journal of preventive medicine.

[48]  M. Kwan.  The Uncertain Geographic Context Problem , 2012 .

[49]  T. Dummer,et al.  Spatial classification of youth physical activity patterns. , 2012, American journal of preventive medicine.

[50]  Mitch J Duncan,et al.  Applying GPS to enhance understanding of transport-related physical activity. , 2009, Journal of science and medicine in sport.

[51]  Thomas A Glass,et al.  The built environment and obesity: a systematic review of the epidemiologic evidence. , 2010, Health & place.

[52]  Bryan J Boruff,et al.  Using GPS technology to (re)-examine operational definitions of ‘neighbourhood’ in place-based health research , 2012, International Journal of Health Geographics.