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The Irvine-Minnesota inventory to measure built environments: reliability tests
Marlon G Boarnet1, Kristen Day, Mariela Alfonzo
1Department of Planning, Policy, and Design, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|February 7, 2006
Summary
The Irvine-Minnesota Inventory shows high inter-rater reliability for built environment audits, crucial for active living research. Modifications improved consistency, especially in Minnesota.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Public Health Research
- Urban Planning
Background:
- Inter-rater reliability is critical for the validity of environmental audit tools.
- The Irvine-Minnesota Inventory assesses built environment features linked to active living.
- This study evaluates the reliability of this comprehensive audit tool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the inter-rater reliability of the Irvine-Minnesota Inventory.
- To identify and modify inventory items with low reliability.
- To compare reliability across different testing sites.
Main Methods:
- Inter-rater reliability was quantified using percentage agreement between observers.
- Reliability testing was conducted across diverse sites in California and Minnesota.
- The inventory was refined based on initial reliability assessments.
Main Results:
- At the University of California-Irvine, 76.8% of variables achieved over 80% agreement among three raters.
- At the University of Minnesota, 99.2% of variables achieved over 80% agreement among two raters.
- The inventory was modified, removing items with low reliability.
Conclusions:
- The Irvine-Minnesota Inventory demonstrates high reliability for most assessed items.
- Site-specific factors, including inventory usage and research objectives, influenced reliability outcomes.
- Future research directions and study limitations are discussed.
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