Dataset Information

Beyond Activity Space: Detecting Communities in Ecological Networks.

ABSTRACT: Emerging research suggests that the extent to which activity spaces - the collection of an individual's routine activity locations - overlap provides important information about the functioning of a city and its neighborhoods. To study patterns of overlapping activity spaces, we draw on the notion of an ecological network, a type of two-mode network with the two modes being individuals and the geographic locations where individuals perform routine activities. We describe a method for detecting "ecological communities" within these networks based on shared activity locations among individuals. Specifically, we identify latent activity pattern profiles, which, for each community, summarize its members' probability distribution of going to each location, and community assignment vectors, which, for each individual, summarize his/her probability distribution of belonging to each community. Using data from the Adolescent Health and Development in Context (AHDC) Study, we employ latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) to identify activity pattern profiles and communities. We then explore differences across neighborhoods in the strength, and within-neighborhood consistency of community assignment. We hypothesize that these aspects of the neighborhood structure of ecological community membership capture meaningful dimensions of neighborhood functioning likely to co-vary with economic and racial composition. We discuss the implications of a focus on ecological communities for the conduct of "neighborhood effects" research more broadly.

SUBMITTER: Xi W

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7685241 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Beyond Activity Space: Detecting Communities in Ecological Networks.

Xi Wenna W Calder Catherine A CA Browning Christopher R CR

Annals of the American Association of Geographers 20200316 6

Emerging research suggests that the extent to which activity spaces - the collection of an individual's routine activity locations - overlap provides important information about the functioning of a city and its neighborhoods. To study patterns of overlapping activity spaces, we draw on the notion of an ecological network, a type of two-mode network with the two modes being individuals and the geographic locations where individuals perform routine activities. We describe a method for detecting " ...[more]

PMID: 33244506

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Project description:Many scholars, policy analysts, and practitioners agree that neighborhoods are important contexts for urban youth. Yet, despite decades of research, our knowledge of why and how neighborhoods influence the day-to-day lives of youth is still emerging. Theories about neighborhood effects largely assume that neighborhoods operate to influence youth through exposure-based mechanisms. Extant theoretical approaches, however, have neglected the processes by which neighborhood socioeconomic contexts influence the routine spatial exposures-or activity spaces-of urban residents. In this article, we argue that exposure to organizations, institutions, and other settings that characterize individual activity spaces is a key mechanism through which neighborhoods influence youth outcomes. Moreover, we hypothesize that aggregate patterns of shared local exposure-captured by the concept of ecological networks-are influenced by neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and are independently consequential for neighborhood youth. Neighborhoods in which residents intersect in space more extensively as a result of routine conventional activities will exhibit higher levels of social capital relevant to youth well-being, including (1) familiarity, (2) beneficial (weak) social ties, (3) trust, (4) shared expectations for pro-social youth behavior (collective efficacy), and (5) the capacity for consistent monitoring of public space. We then consider the implications of ecological networks for understanding the complexities of contextual exposure. We specifically discuss the role of embeddedness in ecological communities-that is, clusters of actors and locations that intersect at higher rates-for understanding contextual influences that are inadequately captured by geographically defined neighborhoods. We conclude with an overview of new approaches to data collection that incorporate insights from an activity-space and ecological-network perspective on neighborhood and contextual influences on youth. Our approach offers (1) a new theoretical approach to understanding the links between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and youth-relevant dimensions of neighborhood social capital; (2) a basis for conceptualizing contextual influences that vary within, or extend beyond, traditionally understood geographic neighborhoods; and (3) a suite of methodological tools and resources to address the mechanisms of contextual influence more precisely. Research into the causes and consequences of urban neighborhood routine activity structures will illuminate the social processes accounting for compromised youth outcomes in disadvantaged neighborhoods and enhance the capacity for effective youth-oriented interventions.

Project description:OBJECTIVES:To examine the relationship between school playground size and total physical activity (PA), fitness and fundamental movement skills (FMS) of primary school students. DESIGN:Cross-sectional ecological analysis. SETTING:43 primary schools in New South Wales, Australia. PARTICIPANTS:Data were from 5238 students, aged 5 to 12 years, participating in the Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey. OUTCOME MEASURES:Self (for age ?11 years) and parent (for age <11 years) report of PA (meeting PA recommendations and number of days meeting recommendations), objectively measured FMS and cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. RESULTS:Associations between playground space and measures of PA and fitness were mostly non-linear and moderated by loose equipment. Students in schools with no loose equipment showed a weak association between space and meeting PA recommendations (self-report). In schools with equipment, students' predicted probability of meeting PA recommendations increased sharply between 15?m2 and 25?m2 per student from 0.04 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.08) to 0.30 (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.46), but at 30?m2 returned to levels comparable to students in schools with no equipment (0.18, 95%?CI: 0.07 to 0.28). For cardiorespiratory fitness, in schools with no loose equipment, probabilities for being in the healthy cardiovascular fitness zone varied between 0.66 and 0.77, showing no consistent trend. Students in schools with loose equipment had a predicted probability of being in the healthy fitness zone of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.71) at 15?m2 per student, which rose to 0.75 (95% CI: 0.63 to 0.86) at 20?m2 per student. There was no relationship between space and FMS. CONCLUSIONS:School space guidelines need to incorporate sufficient playground space for students. Our study provides evidence supporting better PA outcomes with increasing space up to 25?m2 per student, and access to loose equipment, however further research is required to determine precise thresholds for minimum space. Intersectoral planning and cooperation is required to meet the needs of growing school populations.

Dataset Information

Beyond Activity Space: Detecting Communities in Ecological Networks.

Publications

Beyond Activity Space: Detecting Communities in Ecological Networks.

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