Analytic Audit Tool and Checklist Audit Tool

Abstract

The Analytic Audit Tool and the Checklist Audit Tool are specialized instruments developed to provide reliable, objective measurement of characteristics within the built environment at the street scale. These tools are crucial for researchers and planners seeking to understand the quantitative relationships between environmental features and community rates of physical activity, such as walking and cycling. Developed by Brownson and colleagues (2004), the instruments exist in two distinct versions: an analytic version employing Likert scale and ordinal response choices for detailed grading, and a checklist version utilizing dichotomous response choices (Yes/No) for rapid assessment.

The development process involved gathering existing audit tools from peer-reviewed literature and consulting experts. The tools were validated through inter-rater reliability testing conducted across 147 street segments in St. Louis, Missouri, encompassing diverse socioeconomic neighborhoods. They are particularly effective for documenting elements related to transportation infrastructure and land use patterns.

Keywords

Physical activity, Built environment, Community audit, Walkability, Street segment, Analytic Audit Tool, Checklist Audit Tool, Environmental assessment, Active transport.

Authors

Brownson, R. C., Brennan Ramirez, L. K., Hoehner, C. M., Cook, R. A.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Analytic Audit Tool and the Checklist Audit Tool is to systematically assess and quantify specific, observable features of the street-scale environment that may influence residents’ engagement in physical activity. By providing standardized measures, the tools enable researchers to test hypotheses regarding environmental determinants of health behaviors.

The instruments are designed to capture a wide array of environmental features, including the quality and presence of sidewalks, the availability of public transit, the presence of aesthetic elements like trees, maintenance issues such as litter and graffiti, and the types and density of accessible recreational and essential destinations. This comprehensive audit allows for a nuanced understanding of how urban design impacts active lifestyles.

Construct

The instruments measure the construct of the Street-Scale Environment Quality for Physical Activity. This construct is defined by the physical characteristics of street segments that either facilitate or impede active modes of transportation and recreational movement. It is an objective measure of the built environment, focusing on tangible infrastructure elements rather than subjective perceptions.

Key domains measured by the tools include transportation infrastructure (e.g., crosswalks, bike lanes), land use mix (e.g., residential vs. commercial destinations), and neighborhood aesthetics and safety (e.g., lighting, quality of maintenance). The tools are designed to translate complex environmental characteristics into quantifiable data points suitable for epidemiological and public health research.

Validity

While the initial publications focused predominantly on reliability, the development methodology—which involved collecting existing audit tools and consulting experts—suggests a strong foundation in face and content validity. The items included are those commonly accepted within urban planning and public health literature as critical determinants of walkability and active transport potential.

To fully establish the scale’s utility, future psychometric evaluations should focus on demonstrating criterion validity, specifically by correlating the audit scores with objective measures of physical activity or utilization rates of the assessed environment. The utility of the tools is recognized in their ability to capture elements well-suited for transportation and land use analyses.

Reliability

Data supporting the reliability of both the Analytic Audit Tool and the Checklist Audit Tool were presented by Brownson et al. in 2004. The instruments demonstrated acceptable reliability, particularly when capturing elements within the transportation and land use environments, which tend to be more stable and objectively observable.

The reliability assessment involved an inter-rater design where multiple auditors independently evaluated the same 147 street segments in St. Louis, Missouri. This methodology confirmed that the tools provide consistent measurements across different observers, reinforcing their utility as reliable instruments for community audits that are relatively easy and quick to administer.

Factor Analysis

Formal factor analysis (Exploratory or Confirmatory) was not detailed in the primary reference documentation. Given the nature of the instruments as comprehensive environmental audit tools, they often function as indices wherein specific domains (e.g., sidewalk quality, transit access) are aggregated rather than being designed to measure latent psychological factors. Researchers typically utilize scores from predetermined subdomains based on theoretical frameworks related to built environment characteristics.

Instrument

Test Type: Observational Audit Tool (Environmental Assessment)

Format: Two versions exist: Analytic (using Likert scale and ordinal response choices) and Checklist (using dichotomous response choices).

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: Environmental Segments (Street Segments and Neighborhoods)

Age Group: Not applicable (Measures the physical environment, not human subjects)

Population Details: Initial reliability testing utilized 147 distinct street segments within St. Louis, Missouri, selected to represent a range of socioeconomic conditions (higher income and lower income neighborhoods).

Test Methodology: Systematic observation and recording of predetermined environmental features by trained auditors along specified street segments.

Keywords

Public health, Urban planning, Active transport, Dichotomous scale, Ordinal measurement, Environmental measurement, Inter-rater reliability, Street-scale environments.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Unknown

Affiliation Email addresses: Unknown

Correspondence Address: Unknown

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The instruments are widely utilized in public health and urban planning research. Non-commercial use typically requires proper citation of the foundational Brownson et al. (2004) publication.

Fee: No known fee is associated with the use of these instruments for academic or research purposes.

Test Year: Initial reliability testing and primary publication occurred in 2004.

Reference’s

• Brownson, R. C., Hoehner, C. M., Brennan, L. K., Cook, R. A., Elliott, M. B., & Mcmullen, K. M. (2004). Reliability of 2 instruments for auditing the environment for physical activity. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 1(3), 191-208.

Items of the Analytic Audit Tool and Checklist Audit Tool

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The specific item content for the Analytic Audit Tool and the Checklist Audit Tool was not provided in the source material used for this entry.

The original PDF containing both the Analytic Audit Tool and the Checklist Audit Tool can be downloaded here: Analytic Audit Tool and Checklist Audit Tool (PDF)