Page 19 - JCAU-6-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Leisure-time physical activity

3.1.3. Measurement method for the base data studies, 15 initially measured the frequency and duration

There are two main types of measures used to assess urban BE of walking, moderate-, and higher-intensity physical
characteristics, namely, perceptual and objective measures. activity for leisure purposes within the preceding 7 days
Figure 3 provides a summary of the measurement methods using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.
Subsequently, these data were converted into metabolic
employed for the base data. Among those employing equivalent scores, following the questionnaire’s established
perceptual measures, the majority (n = 11) used the scoring procedure (Craig et al., 2003). Individual residents’
Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale (NEWS) weekly LTPA levels were then calculated by multiplying the
and its revisions (ANEWS, NEWS-CS, and NEWS-A) to duration of their LTPA by the respective score. In addition,
gather data. These measures facilitate data acquisition based studies focusing on older adults used the Physical Activity
on seven urban BE characteristics, enabling assessment of Inventory (PPAI) for the Elderly to measure LTPA levels
neighborhood walking environments and analysis of factors within this demographic (Wu et al., 2019). However, some
influencing LTPA. In addition, certain studies utilized an articles lacked effective descriptions of the self-report
environmental audit instrument (e.g., China Urban Built methods employed (Guo et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2020).
Environment Scanning Tool and Asia Environmental
Scanning Tool - Hong Kong version) (Cerin et al., 2013a; Su 3.1.4. Evaluation of the research quality of articles
et al., 2014) and a five-point Likert scale technique (Fei et Of the 18 articles included in the study, six were rated as good
al., 2022; Liu et al., 2020) to capture respondents’ subjective quality (33.3%), six were rated as fair quality (33.3%), and
perceptions of the urban BE. However, one article employed six were rated as poor quality (33.3%). Table 5 summarizes
a self-developed scale and did not provide clear descriptions the results of the research quality assessment. Consequently,
of the perceptual measures used (Guo et al., 2021).
a majority of the articles exhibited fair or poor quality. The
In studies adopting objective measures, geographic reasons for these results are elaborated here.
information system platforms (Dai et al., 2019; Li & Zhao, First, the sample response rate (which is calculated as the
2022; Liu et al., 2020; Zhu et al., 2022) were commonly ratio of the number of valid samples for which data are available
used to collect, organize, and analyze spatial data related to to the total sample size) was generally low in the included
urban BE. Furthermore, one article used a high-resolution articles. A low sample response rate for a study makes it
network semantic segmentation model to quantitatively impossible to determine whether the sample used in the article
measure complex factors in the BE, such as visible greenery, was representative. Seven articles had sample response rates of
open sky, enclosure, and surveillance, to assess the comfort less than 40% or did not provide information on the sample
and safety of the environment (Li & Zhao, 2022). This response rate. Second, the method of stratified sampling based
method offers more detailed, objective, and accurate data on key urban BE characteristics was not commonly adopted.
on the characteristics of urban BE compared to traditional The key urban BE characteristics identified by these studies
manual measurements or subjective assessment methods. included the degree of land use mix, commercial and public
Most studies used scales or sociological research methods service allocation (Su et al., 2014), geographic location (Wu
to measure residents’ LTPA levels. Among the included et al., 2019), residential area renovation (Fei et al., 2022),
housing type (commercial housing, subsidized housing,
historic districts, and urban villages) (Zhu et al., 2022),
pedestrian friendliness (Cerin, et al., 2013), and public space
characteristics (street, squares, and parks) (Liu et al., 2020).
Third, the accuracy and validity of the perceptual measures
used in the included articles were insufficient. Moreover, many
articles did not adequately describe the measurement methods
or used unvalidated methods (n = 9). Finally, the articles
included in the study failed to present the findings correctly or
clearly (n = 4), and the actual p-values derived from individual
studies did not match the conclusions (n = 1).
3.2. Status of the evidence presented in the article
Figure 3. Summary of the measurement methods used for the base data.
Source: Illustration by the authors 3.2.1. Association between urban built environment
Abbreviations: IPAQ: International Physical Activity Questionnaire; characteristics and residents’ leisure-time walking
LTPA: Leisure-time physical activity; n.a.: Not available;
NEWS: Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale; PASE: Physical Leisure-time walking (LTW) is a major form of residents’
Activity Scale for the Elderly. LTPA, making evidence of LTW valuable for revealing

Volume 6 Issue 2 (2024) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2427