Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluating Physical Activity Resources To Support Health Equity In Arizona, Kathryn M. Orzech, Theresa A. Legros, Laurel Jacobs, Gregory Goodman, Ryan Lang

The Journal of Extension

We evaluated physical activity (PA) resources in lower-income Arizona communities to support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) in pursuing equitable policy, systems, and environment (PSE) interventions. In 2017, 71 PA resources across 10 counties (65% parks) were rated using the Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA) tool. Accessibility was high, but condition scores and attractiveness varied across resources, with no rural/urban differences. Results suggest that Extension SNAP-Ed staff can be agents of change by assessing resource condition where physical activity health inequities may exist and then convening partners to begin to address needed changes.

Prospective Associations Of Neighborhood Healthy Food Access And Walkability With Weight Status In A Regional Pediatric Health System., Qianxia Jiang, Bethany Forseth, Lauren Fitzpatrick, Helena Laroche, Sarah Hampl, Ann M. Davis, Chelsea Steel, Jordan A. Carlson

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Most neighborhood food and activity related environment research in children has been cross-sectional. A better understanding of prospective associations between these neighborhood environment factors and children's weight status can provide stronger evidence for informing interventions and policy. This study examined associations of baseline and changes in neighborhood healthy food access and walkability with changes in children's weight status over 5 years.

METHODS: Height, weight, and home address were obtained for 4,493 children (> 75% were Black or Latinx) from primary care visits within a large pediatric health system. Eligible participants were those who had measures collected during two time …

Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists And Architects To Incorporate Universal Design To Increase Accessibility, Michelle C. L. Hoff, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The design of the built environment plays a key role in occupational participation. When the built environment is poorly designed, it severely limits accessibility for an individual with a disability. In contrast, when the built environment is well designed, it can support the occupational performance of individuals of all ages and abilities. Interprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and architects can improve environmental barriers to occupational participation within home and community settings. Interprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and architects has involved direct input through consultations, interprofessional education experiences, and the formation of interprofessional organizations. However, barriers to interprofessional collaboration have included …

Using Exterior Housing Conditions To Predict Elevated Pediatric Blood Lead Levels., Neal J Wilson, Elizabeth Friedman, Kevin Kennedy, Panayiotis T. Manolakos, Lori Reierson, Amy Roberts, Steve Simon

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Housing-based lead paint dust is the most common source of lead exposure for US-born children. Although year of housing construction is a critical indicator of the lead hazard to US children, not all housing of the same age poses the same risk to children. Additional information about housing condition is required to differentiate the housing-based lead risk at the parcel level. This study aimed to identify and assess a method for gathering and using observations of exterior housing conditions to identify active housing-based lead hazards at the parcel level. We used a dataset of pediatric blood lead observations (sample years …

Feasibility Of A Self-Paced Educational Intervention Protocol On Standardized Assessment Of Public Building Accessibility, Suzanne Burns, Jaclyn K. Schwartz, Rochelle J. Mendonca, Qussai M. Obiedat, Roger O. Smith

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Limited research informs the implementation of web-based and mobile learning (mLearning) protocols for the assessment of public building accessibility in occupational therapy graduate students. This study tested the feasibility of a self-paced protocol designed to teach students how to evaluate community environment accessibility. Students across five sites completed an online learning module and community building evaluations. Students were randomized into lecture or lab educational groups and then crossed over to receive the second experience. Outcomes were student satisfaction, self-perceived learning, and knowledge on a researcher-developed measure. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Two hundred and twelve students completed the study. …

Disparities In Neighborhood Park Access Among Adults In Philadelphia, Russell K. Mcintire, Tiara Halstead, Devesh Dajee, Meghan Buckley, Kyle Mcgregor, Sharon Larson

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Researchers have clearly identified the importance of green space to promote mental and physical health among humans. In urban areas, public parks are essential for providing access to green space for many residents. This study identified the relationships between demographics, neighborhood social capital, violent crime, and residential distance to the closest park (park proximity) with self-reported access to neighborhood parks, among a population-representative sample of adults in Philadelphia. Women, older age groups, minorities, and those with lower education levels had lower self-reported access to neighborhood parks. Those reporting high neighborhood social capital had higher self-reported access to neighborhood parks. Park …

Location-Specific Psychosocial And Environmental Correlates Of Physical Activity And Sedentary Time In Young Adolescents: Preliminary Evidence For Location-Specific Approaches From A Cross-Sectional Observational Study., Adrian Ortega, Carolina M Bejarano, Christopher C Cushing, Vincent S. Staggs, Amy Papa, Chelsea Steel, Robin P. Shook, Terry L. Conway, Brian E. Saelens, Karen Glanz, Kelli L. Cain, Lawrence D. Frank, Jacqueline Kerr, Jasper Schipperijn, James F. Sallis, Jordan A. Carlson

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background: A better understanding of the extent to which psychosocial and environmental correlates of physical activity are specific to locations would inform intervention optimization.

Purpose: To investigate cross-sectional associations of location-general and location-specific variables with physical activity and sedentary time in three common locations adolescents spend time.

Methods: Adolescents (N = 472,Mage = 14.1,SD = 1.5) wore an accelerometer and global positioning systems (GPS) tracker and self-reported on psychosocial (e.g., self-efficacy) and environmental (e.g., equipment) factors relevant to physical activity and sedentary time. We categorized each survey item based on whether it was specific to a location to generate psychosocial …

Assessing The Influence Of Food Insecurity And Retail Environments As A Proxy For Structural Racism On The Covid-19 Pandemic In An Urban Setting, Rachael D. Dombrowski, Alex B. Hill, Bree Bode, Kathrybn A. G Knoff, Hadis Dastgerdizad, Noel Kulik, James Mallare, Kibibi Blount-Dorn, Winona Bynum

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

A collaborative partnership launched the Great Grocer Project (GGP) in March 2021 in Detroit, Michigan where health inequities, including deaths due to COVID-19, have historically been politically determined and informed by socially entrenched norms. Institutional and structural racism has contributed to a lack of diversity in store ownership among Detroit grocers and limited access to high-quality, affordable healthy foods as well as disparate food insecurity among Detroit residents. The GGP seeks to promote Detroit’s healthy grocers to improve community health and economic vitality through research, programs, and policies that have the potential to advance health equity. A cross-sectional design was …

Evaluating The Dissemination And Implementation Of A Community Health Worker-Based Community Wide Campaign To Improve Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Physical Activity Among Latinos Along The U.S.-Mexico Border, Paul Gerardo Yeh, Belinda M. Reininger, Lisa A. Mitchell-Bennett, Minjae Lee, Tianlin Xu, Amanda C. Davé, Soo Kyung Park, Alma G. Ochoa-Del Toro

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study evaluated the dissemination and implementation of a culturally tailored community-wide campaign (CWC), Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! (TSSC), to augment fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and physical activity (PA) engagement among low-income Latinos of Mexican descent living along the U.S.-Mexico Border in Texas. TSSC used longitudinal community health worker (CHW) home visits as a core vehicle to enact positive change across all socioecological levels to induce behavioral change. TSSC’s reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) was examined. A dietary questionnaire and the Godin-Shepherd Exercise Questionnaire measured program effectiveness on mean daily FV consumption and weekly PA engagement, respectively. …

Exploration Of The Role Of Neighborhood Residential Segregation By Race And Ethnicity In Obesity Risk Among School-Aged, Melissa L. Fair

Theses and Dissertations

Youth obesity prevalence remains high, despite decades of intervention. Grounded in the social ecological model, neighborhoods and schools are important settings in addressing the complex systems that influence obesity. Contributing to disparities, by race/ethnicity, Black and Hispanic youth are more likely to live in segregated neighborhoods and attend segregated schools, which are also more likely to have high rates of poverty and are less likely to have high quality nutrition and built environments. Leveraging data from local school district (district and state department of education) and national datasets (ACS, Childhood Opportunity Index 2.0), this study examined the associations between school …

Rethinking Walkability And Developing A Conceptual Definition Of Active Living Environments To Guide Research And Practice, 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

Geography & Environment Publications

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 …

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, Green Space, And Walkability And Risk For Falls And Fracture Among Postmenopausal Women: The Women’S Health Initiative, Marilyn Elizabeth Wende

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess whether neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), walkability, and green space impacts fall and fracture incidence among postmenopausal women, and to assess important modifiers for these relationships, such as fall history, physical activity, physical impairment, race/ethnicity, and rurality. Data from the Women’s Health Initiative study from 1993 to 2012 (N=161,808) was used.

SES had a significant relationship with falling after adjustment (intermediate vs low SES OR=0.99, p=0.0309; high vs low SES OR=0.99, p=0.1192). Study arm participation and fall frequency at baseline significantly modified this relationship. Walkability had a significant relationship with falling incidence after …

Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics And Parental Role In Physical Activity Of African American Youth, Kashica Webber-Ritchey, Elizabeth Moxley, Sungsoon Hwang, Desale Habtzghi, Sai Yalla

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Introduction: Lack of physical activity (PA) serves as one of the contributing factors to pediatric obesity in African American (AA) youth.

Objective: Further examination of the Social Ecological Model [SEM] influences on PA in AA youth is vital. The purpose of this pilot study is to explore environmental factors, built environment (BE) and parental role, in PA promotion.

Methods: Using mixed method data collection, a convenience sample of 28 AA parents/caregivers of school-aged children (6-12 years) enrolled in Chicago Youth Programs (CYP) completed an online survey. Parents/caregivers along with their child participated in focus group sessions (n=18 parent/child dyads). …

Partners At Play: Engaging Parks And Recreation Departments In Extension’S Health Promotion Work, Annie Hardison-Moody, Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, Jason Bocarro, Jill Kuhlberg, Michael Schulman, Sarah Bowen, Alyssa Anderson, Lauren Morris, Yvonne Murphy

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

As Extension assumes a more prominent role in health promotion efforts at the national and local levels, it is increasingly important to build strong, sustainable partnerships with organizations that address health and health disparities across the socio-ecological model. Given the role that the built environment plays in fostering and impeding health and physical activity, we argue that state and local Extension staff should build and maintain strong partnerships with organizations that carry out this work at the national, state, and local levels, such as Parks and Recreation departments. This article presents a case study of how Extension staff in one …

Differences In Adolescent Activity And Dietary Behaviors Across Home, School, And Other Locations Warrant Location-Specific Intervention Approaches., Adrian Ortega, Carolina M. Bejarano, Christopher C. Cushing, Vincent S. Staggs, Amy Papa, Chelsea Steel, Robin P. Shook, Debra K. Sullivan, Sarah C. Couch, Terry L. Conway, Brian E. Saelens, Karen Glanz, Lawrence D. Frank, Kelli L. Cain, Jacqueline Kerr, Jasper Schipperijn, James F Sallis, Jordan A. Carlson

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Investigation of physical activity and dietary behaviors across locations can inform "setting-specific" health behavior interventions and improve understanding of contextual vulnerabilities to poor health. This study examined how physical activity, sedentary time, and dietary behaviors differed across home, school, and other locations in young adolescents.

METHODS: Participants were adolescents aged 12-16 years from the Baltimore-Washington, DC and the Seattle areas from a larger cross-sectional study. Participants (n = 472) wore an accelerometer and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) tracker (Mean days = 5.12, SD = 1.62) to collect location-based physical activity and sedentary data. Participants (n = 789) completed 24-h …

The Influence Of Light In The Built Environment To Improve Mental Health Outcomes, Nathanael T. Kohl

Theses and Dissertations

Current mental health statistics for US active duty and Veteran members justify research into the causes and remedies for those plagued with negative mental health outcomes. Recent research has suggested that the built environment is connected to our mental health. This study investigated this connection with active duty and Veteran populations across the US. A literature review was completed on what factors of light in the built environment affects mental health outcomes. An analysis of active duty and Veteran mental health symptoms and the natural light rating in their residence was completed to understand the design changes that can be …

Electronic Image Detectability Under Varying Illumination Conditions, Jeremy J. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Light in the built environment plays an essential role in the vision and the health of humans through non-visual receptors in the eyes. Unfortunately, image analysts and other Air Force personnel who engage in the detection of objects on softcopy displays are often required to work in very dimly-lit or dark environments as higher illumination reduces the contrast of displayed information. Literature has shown that increases in light exposure improves circadian rhythm entrainment and reduces the negative health consequences of insufficient lighting. This research examines the effects of indoor lighting to determine if increases in ambient illumination or changes to …

Socio-Spatial And Quality Of Life Themes In Aged Care Architecture: A Qualitative Methods Protocol, Sarah Mcgann, Caroline Bulsara, Holly Farley

Arts Papers and Journal Articles

Aim: To evaluate the connection between residential aged care architecture, the residents’ ability to find home and Quality of Life themes.

Design: This study uses convergent qualitative mixed methods approach across the three phases of the research project to explore the lived experience of residential aged care residents, their family members, and direct care staff.

Methods: The chosen qualitative methodology is based on a constructionist paradigm and uses a combination of observations, photo production and prompted discussions, and architectural visual data collection methods. Funding was approved in March 2018.

Discussion: This research will provide a novel approach to understanding ways …

Fungal Community Characterization And Machine Learning Classification Of Building Mold Status Between Pre- And Post-Remediation, Truc T. Ly

Public Health Theses

As part of a larger sampling campaign with mold inspectors across the US, samples (dust and direct mold) from 11 New York homes during pre- and post-remediation were analyzed by sequencing the interspaced transcribed region of extracted DNA and bioinformatic methods. Overarching findings from this study include: 1) pre/post- remediation fungal communities exhibit subtle differences and 2) larger degrees of fungal community differences exist between direct mold and settled dust. Mainly known as environmentally derived fungal species, Cladosporium ramotenellum and Rhodosporidium diobovatum were the two main taxa to be abundant among post-remediation samples. The thermophilic fungi, Thielavia terrestris, was higher …

Optimising Refurbishment In Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities Using A Mixed Methods Approach, S Neylon

Theses

The growth in ageing populations in addition to an increase in rates of chronic diseases such as dementia, has led to projections that this upsurge will be matched by increased demand for residential aged care placements for the foreseeable future. Currently, significant proportions of aged care government funding both locally and internationally are directed towards the residential sector. Australia has recently released Aged Care Quality Standards whereby the outcomes to residents need to be verified specifically across a range of domains (including the living and built environment) in order to maintain this government funding. Building new facilities is not always …

Enhancing Emergency Care Environments: Supporting Suicidal Distress And Self-Harm Presentations Through Environmental Safeguards And The Built Environment, Stephanie Liddicoat

Patient Experience Journal

Self-harming and suicidal distress are prevalent, worldwide healthcare issues. Existing literature explains that both self-harm and suicidal presentations at Emergency Departments are increasingly occurring, correlating to high costs in healthcare service delivery. This scoping review aimed to (1) identify the current body of literature which examined the relationship between design practice and service user experiences within Emergency Departments for self-harm and suicidal distress presentations, and (2) identify the ways in which the built environment could increase the efficacy of therapeutic efforts through improving service user outcomes and experiences. This scoping review established that there was a paucity of research at …

Sustainable Building, Spring/Summer 2009, Issue 20

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Our Energy Future, Fall/Winter 2007, Issue 15

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Renewable Energy, Fall/Winter 2011, Issue 23

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Active Transportation, Spring/Summer 2012, Issue 26

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Behavior, Spring/Summer 2013, Issue 28

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Campus Sustainability, Spring/Summer 2014, Issue 30

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Carbon Neutral, Spring/Summer 2018, Issue 38

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Ten Questions Concerning The Built Environment And Mental Health, Andrew J. Hoisington, Kelly A. Stearns-Yoder, Steven J. Schuldt, Cody J. Beemer, Kerry A. Kinney, Teodor T. Postolache, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner

Faculty Publications

Most people spend the majority of their lives indoors. Research over the last thirty years has focused on investigating the mechanisms through which specific elements of the built environment, such as indoor air quality, influence the physical health of occupants. However, similar effort has not been expended in regard to mental health, a significant public health concern. One in five Americans has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder in the past year, and, in the United States, the number of suicide deaths are similar to the number of deaths due to breast cancer. Increases in mental health disorders in …

Rationale, Design, And Baseline Characteristics Of Walkit Arizona: A Factorial Randomized Trial Testing Adaptive Goals And Financial Reinforcement To Increase Walking Across Higher And Lower Walkable Neighborhoods, Marc A. Adams, Jane Hurley, Christine Phillips, Michael Todd, Siddhartha Angadi, Vincent Berardi, Melbourne F. Hovell, Steven Hooker

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Little change over the decades has been seen in adults meeting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) guidelines. Numerous individual-level interventions to increase MVPA have been designed, mostly static interventions without consideration for neighborhood context. Recent technologies make adaptive interventions for MVPA feasible. Unlike static interventions, adaptive intervention components (e.g., goal setting) adjust frequently to an individual's performance. Such technologies also allow for more precise delivery of “smaller, sooner incentives” that may result in greater MVPA than “larger, later incentives”. Combined, these factors could enhance MVPA adoption. Additionally, a central tenet of ecological models is that MVPA is sensitive to neighborhood environment …