Dataset Information

Housing and neighbourhood diagnosis for ageing in place: Multidimensional Assessment System of the Built Environment (MASBE).

ABSTRACT: Current urban, health and social challenges demand new multidisciplinary assessment systems for decision-making in the built environment from the perspective of the elderly, as an even more vulnerable population. This research contributes with a Multidimensional Assessment System of the Built Environment (MASBE) that provides an integral diagnosis on the perceived suitability of urban and housing environments for an ageing population, whose novel approach is structured and weighted through 35 multidisciplinary variables that are organised in seven dimensions: design, accessibility, comfort, maintenance, security and health, use and control, and stimulus. The system is applied and tested in reference case studies from Spain and Mexico, in order to demonstrate its operation and replicability. The weighted and displayed results help to identify the weaknesses and strengths of each application scale, obtaining average values far from 7.50, as the ideal value for ageing in place, and certain dimensions below 5.00, discussing through a sensitivity analysis the main influencing factors, health risks and major demands of elderly residents before deciding action strategies. The key outcomes incorporate useful implications for policy-makers, promoters and construction firms by enabling assessment procedures to adapt urban and housing spaces for the elderly, thereby ensuring satisfactory proposals in the built environment.

SUBMITTER: Mercader-Moyano P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7388911 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Housing and neighbourhood diagnosis for ageing in place: Multidimensional Assessment System of the Built Environment (MASBE).

Mercader-Moyano Pilar P Flores-García Mariana M Serrano-Jiménez Antonio A

Sustainable cities and society 20200729

Current urban, health and social challenges demand new multidisciplinary assessment systems for decision-making in the built environment from the perspective of the elderly, as an even more vulnerable population. This research contributes with a Multidimensional Assessment System of the Built Environment (MASBE) that provides an integral diagnosis on the perceived suitability of urban and housing environments for an ageing population, whose novel approach is structured and weighted through 35 mu ...[more]

PMID: 32834940

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Project description:BackgroundThere is renewed interest in the role of the built environment in public health. Relatively little research to date investigates its impact on healthy ageing. Ageing in place has been adopted as a key strategy for coping with the challenges of longevity. What is needed is a better understanding of how individual characteristics of older people's residential environments (from front door to wider neighbourhood) contribute to their wellbeing, in order to provide the basis for evidence-based housing/urban design and development of interventions. This research aimed to develop a tool to objectively measure a large range of built environment characteristics, as the basis for a preliminary study of potential relationships with a number of 'place-related' functional, emotional and social wellbeing constructs.MethodsThrough a review of urban design literature, design documents, and existing measures, a new tool, the NeDeCC (Neighbourhood Design Characteristics Checklist) was developed. It was piloted, refined, and its reliability validated through inter-rater tests. A range of place-related wellbeing constructs were identified and measured through interviews with 200 older people living in a wide variety of rural-urban environments and different types of housing in England. The NeDeCC was used to measure the residential environment of each participant, and significant bivariate relationships with wellbeing variables were identified.ResultsThe NeDeCC was found to have convincing face and construct validity and good inter-rater and test/retest reliability, though it would benefit from use of digital data sources such as Google Earth to eliminate the need for on-site survey. The significant relationships found in the study suggest that there may be characteristics of residential environments of potential relevance for older people's lives that have been overlooked in research to date, and that it may be worthwhile to question some of the assumptions about where and how older people want to live (e.g. villages seem to be positive). They also point to the importance of considering non-linear relationships.ConclusionsThe NeDeCC provides the basis for generation of evidence-based design guidance if it is used in prospective controlled studies or 'natural experiments' in the future. Ultimately, this will facilitate the creation of better places for ageing in place.

Project description:BackgroundThere is increasing evidence demonstrating the importance of the neighbourhood built environment in supporting physical activity. Physical activity provides numerous health benefits including improvements in health-related fitness (i.e., muscular, cardiorespiratory, motor, and morphological fitness). Emerging evidence also suggests that the neighbourhood built environment is associated with health-related fitness. Our aim was to summarize evidence on the associations between the neighbourhood built environment and components of health-related fitness in adults.MethodsWe undertook a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. Our data sources included electronic searches in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Environment Complete, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and Transport Research International Documentation from inception to March 2021. Our eligibility criteria consisted of observational and experimental studies estimating associations between the neighbourhood built environment and health-related fitness among healthy adults (age ≥ 18 years). Eligible studies included objective or self-reported measures of the neighbourhood built environment and included either objective or self-reported measures of health-related fitness. Data extraction included study design, sample characteristics, measured neighbourhood built environment characteristics, and measured components of health-related fitness. We used individual Joanna Briggs Institute study checklists based on identified study designs. Our primary outcome measure was components of health-related fitness (muscular; cardiorespiratory; motor, and morphological fitness).ResultsTwenty-seven studies (sample sizes = 28 to 419,562; 2002 to 2020) met the eligibility criteria. Neighbourhood destinations were the most consistent built environment correlate across all components of health-related fitness. The greatest number of significant associations was found between the neighbourhood built environment and morphological fitness while the lowest number of associations was found for motor fitness. The neighbourhood built environment was consistently associated with health-related fitness in studies that adjusted for physical activity.ConclusionThe neighbourhood built environment is associated with health-related fitness in adults and these associations may be independent of physical activity. Longitudinal studies that adjust for physical activity (including resistance training) and sedentary behaviour, and residential self-selection are needed to obtain rigorous causal evidence for the link between the neighbourhood built environment and health-related fitness.Trial registrationProtocol registration: PROSPERO number CRD42020179807.

Project description:Researchers investigating relationships between the neighbourhood environment and health first need to decide on the spatial extent of the neighbourhood they are interested in. This decision is an important and ongoing methodological challenge since different methods of defining and delineating neighbourhood boundaries can produce different results. This paper explores this issue in the context of a New Zealand-based study of the relationship between the built environment and multiple measures of physical activity. Geographic information systems were used to measure three built environment attributes-dwelling density, street connectivity, and neighbourhood destination accessibility-using seven different neighbourhood definitions (three administrative unit boundaries, and 500, 800, 1000- and 1500-m road network buffers). The associations between the three built environment measures and five measures of physical activity (mean accelerometer counts per hour, percentage time in moderate-vigorous physical activity, self-reported walking for transport, self-reported walking for recreation and self-reported walking for all purposes) were modelled for each neighbourhood definition. The combination of the choice of neighbourhood definition, built environment measure, and physical activity measure determined whether evidence of an association was detected or not. Results demonstrated that, while there was no single ideal neighbourhood definition, the built environment was most consistently associated with a range of physical activity measures when the 800-m and 1000-m road network buffers were used. For the street connectivity and destination accessibility measures, associations with physical activity were less likely to be detected at smaller scales (less than 800 m). In line with some previous research, this study demonstrated that the choice of neighbourhood definition can influence whether or not an association between the built environment and adults' physical activity is detected or not. This study additionally highlighted the importance of the choice of built environment attribute and physical activity measures. While we identified the 800-m and 1000-m road network buffers as the neighbourhood definitions most consistently associated with a range of physical activity measures, it is important that researchers carefully consider the most appropriate type of neighbourhood definition and scale for the particular aim and participants, especially at smaller scales.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Evidence-based metrics are needed to inform urban policy to create healthy walkable communities. Most active living research has developed metrics of the environment around residential addresses, ignoring other important walking locations. Therefore, this study examined: metrics for built environment features surrounding local shopping centres, (known in Melbourne, Australia as neighbourhood activity centres (NACs) which are typically anchored by a supermarket); the association between NACs and transport walking; and, policy compliance for supermarket provision. METHODS:In this observational study, cluster analysis was used to categorize 534 NACs in Melbourne, Australia by their built environment features. The NACS were linked to eligible Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel Activity 2009-2010 (VISTA) survey participants (n=19,984). Adjusted multilevel logistic regressions estimated associations between each cluster typology and two outcomes of daily walking: any transport walking; and, any 'neighbourhood' transport walking. Distance between residential dwellings and closest NAC was assessed to evaluate compliance with local planning policy on supermarket locations. RESULTS:Metrics for 19 built environment features were estimated and three NAC clusters associated with walkability were identified. NACs with significantly higher street connectivity (mean:161, SD:20), destination diversity (mean:16, SD:0.4); and net residential density (mean:77, SD:65) were interpreted as being 'highly walkable' when compared with 'low walkable' NACs, which had lower street connectivity (mean:57, SD:15); destination diversity (mean:11, SD:3); and net residential density (mean:10, SD:3). The odds of any daily transport walking was 5.85 times higher (95% CI: 4.22, 8.11), and for any 'neighborhood' transport walking 8.66 (95% CI: 5.89, 12.72) times higher, for residents whose closest NAC was highly walkable compared with those living near low walkable NACs. Only highly walkable NACs met the policy requirement that residents live within 1km of a local supermarket. CONCLUSIONS:Built environment features surrounding NACs must reach certain levels to encourage walking and deliver walkable communities. Research and metrics about the type and quantity of built environment features around both walking trip origins and destinations is needed to inform urban planning policies and urban design guidelines.

Dataset Information

Housing and neighbourhood diagnosis for ageing in place: Multidimensional Assessment System of the Built Environment (MASBE).

Publications

Housing and neighbourhood diagnosis for ageing in place: Multidimensional Assessment System of the Built Environment (MASBE).

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