Table 1 Summary of environmental scales, items and Cronbach’s alpha
Scale | Items | Response Category | Cronbach’s alpha |
|---|---|---|---|
Land use mix-diversity (mean of 23 items – the higher the score, the higher the diversity) | About how long would it take to get from your home to the nearest businesses or facilities listed below if you walked to them? Items: convenience/small grocery store, supermarket, blacksmith, fruit/vegetable market, laundry/dry cleaners, clothing store, post office, library, university/school, other educational centers, book store, fast food restaurant or street food, bakery/coffee shop, bank, non-fast food restaurant, video store, pharmacy/drug store, salon/barber shop, your job or school, public transport stop, park or square, gym or fitness facility | 5-point scale: 5 min (5), 6–10 min (4), 11–20 min (3), 20–30 min (2), 30+ min (1) | 0.934 |
Land use mix-access (mean of 5 items) | Stores are within easy walking distance of my home. It is easy to walk to a transit stop (bus, train) from my home. There are many places to go within easy walking distance of my home. The streets in my neighborhood are hilly, making my neighborhood difficult to walk in (reversed). There are major barriers to walking in my local area that make it hard to get from place to place (for example, freeways, railway lines, rivers) (reversed). | 4-point scale: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), strongly agree (4) | 0.697 |
Street connectivity (mean of 3 items) | The streets in my neighborhood do not have many cul-de-sacs (dead-end streets). The distance between intersections in my neighborhood is usually short (100 yards or less; the length of a football field or less). There are many alternative routes for getting from place to place in my neighborhood. (I don’t have to go the same way every time). | 4-point scale: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), strongly agree (4) | 0.432 |
Walking/cycling facilities (mean of 3 items) | There are sidewalks on most of the streets in my neighborhood. Sidewalks are separated from the road/traffic in my neighborhood by parked cars. There is a grass/dirt strip that separates the streets from the sidewalks in my neighborhood. | 4-point scale: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), strongly agree (4) | 0.624 |
Aesthetics (mean of 4 items) | There are trees along the streets in my neighborhood. There are many interesting things to look at while walking in my neighborhood. There are many attractive natural sights in my neighborhood (such as landscaping, views). There are attractive buildings/homes in my neighborhood. | 4-point scale: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), strongly agree (4) | 0.813 |
Safety from traffic (mean of 4 items) | There is so much traffic along nearby streets that it makes it difficult or unpleasant to walk in my neighborhood (reversed). The speed of traffic on most nearby streets is usually slow (50 km/h or less) Most drivers exceed the posted speed limits while driving in my neighborhood (reversed) There are crosswalks and pedestrian signals to help walkers cross busy streets in my neighborhood. | 4-point scale: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), strongly agree (4) | 0.192 |
Safety from crime (mean of 7 items) | My neighborhood streets are well lit at night. Walkers and bikers on the streets in my neighborhood can be easily seen by people in their homes. There is a high crime rate in my neighborhood (reversed). The crime rate in my neighborhood makes it unsafe to go on walks during the day (reversed). The crime rate in my neighborhood makes it unsafe to go on walks at night (reversed). The parks, public squares, green areas and recreation areas in my neighborhood are unsafe during the day (reversed).a The parks, public squares, green areas and recreation areas in my neighborhood are unsafe at night (reversed).a | 4-point scale: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), strongly agree (4) | 0.806 |
Proximity of public open spacesa (mean of 3 items) | How long, approximately, does it take you to walk from your home to the following types of public open spaces: metropolitan parks (large, with many green areas), playgrounds, public squares. | 5-point scale: 5 min (1), 6–10 min (2), 11–20 min (3), 20–30 min (4), 30+ min (5) | 0.695 |
Proximity of shopping centersa (1 item) | How long, approximately, does it take you to walk from your home to shopping centers? | 5-point scale: 5 min (1), 6–10 min (2), 11–20 min (3), 20–30 min (4), 30+ min (5) | – |