Built environment assessment: Multidisciplinary perspectives

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Environmental Science
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Rising global obesity rates necessitate innovative strategies for environmental health assessment.
• Built and social environments significantly influence population health and require multidisciplinary approaches for effective modification.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for developing comprehensive solutions to complex public health challenges like obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how diverse disciplinary perspectives contribute to assessing built environments for obesity prevention.
• To identify existing gaps and opportunities for advancing environmental context-based obesity research.
• To foster effective cross-disciplinary collaboration in public health initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Convened an expert team from urban planning, public health, nutrition, exercise science, and economics.
• Experts identified key concepts, measures, and applications from their disciplines for built environment assessment.
• Conducted a selective literature and internet-based review from 2013 to 2014.

Main Results:

• Highlighted diverse disciplinary perspectives, tools, and recommendations for built environment assessment.
• Identified progress made in interdisciplinary approaches to obesity prevention.
• Pinpointed critical gaps that hinder comprehensive environmental health strategies.

Conclusions:

• Significant progress has been achieved in cross-disciplinary collaboration for built environment and obesity studies.
• Remaining gaps necessitate enhanced interprofessional education and team science principles.
• Greater appreciation and attention to diverse disciplinary contributions can optimize obesity prevention efforts.