The Irvine-Minnesota inventory to measure built environments: development

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Urban Planning
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Active living, including walking and bicycling, is promoted to increase physical activity.
• Understanding the built environment's impact on physical activity requires effective measurement tools.
• The Irvine Minnesota Inventory was developed to assess built environment features linked to active living.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the Irvine Minnesota Inventory, a tool for measuring built environment features.
• To provide a systematic and reliable method for assessing features potentially influencing active living.

Main Methods:

• Developed through literature review, focus groups, expert panels, and field testing.
• Created and tested in 27 diverse settings.
• Available in both paper and Microsoft Access formats for data input.

Main Results:

• The inventory comprises 162 items across four domains: accessibility, pleasurability, perceived safety from traffic, and perceived safety from crime.
• Items are categorized within these domains, with some items belonging to multiple categories.
• The tool facilitates direct computer data input.

Conclusions:

• The study discusses limitations in the inventory's development methods.
• Strategies are provided for effectively using the Irvine Minnesota Inventory.
• The tool aims to systematically and reliably measure built environment characteristics related to active living.