Population Research Center and Institute of Metropolitan Studies, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, USA.
J Environ Public Health. 2012;2012:203141. doi: 10.1155/2012/203141. Epub 2012 Aug 22.
Consensus is lacking on specific and policy-relevant measures of neighborhood attributes that may affect health outcomes. To address this limitation, we created small standardized geographic units measuring the transit, commercial, and park area access, intersection, and population density for the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Cluster analysis was used to identify six unique urban forms: central city, city periphery, suburb, urban fringe with poor commercial access, urban fringe with pool park access, and satellite city. The urban form information was linkable to the detailed physical activity, health, and socio-demographic data of 2,005 older women without the use of administrative boundaries. Evaluation of the relationship between urban forms and walking behavior indicates that older women residing in city center were more likely to walk than those living in city periphery, suburb communities, and urban fringe with poor commercial access; however, these women were not significantly more likely to walk compared to those residing in urban fringe with poor park access or satellite city. Utility of small standardized geographic units and clusters to measure and define built environment support research investigating the impact of built environment and health. The findings may inform environmental/policy interventions that shape communities and promote active living.
对于可能影响健康结果的特定和与政策相关的邻里属性措施，目前尚未达成共识。为了解决这一局限性，我们为俄勒冈州波特兰大都市区创建了小型标准化地理单元，用于衡量交通、商业和公园区域的可达性、交叉口和人口密度。聚类分析用于识别六种独特的城市形态：市中心、城市边缘、郊区、商业可达性差的城市边缘、公园可达性好的城市边缘和卫星城。城市形态信息可与 2005 名老年女性的详细体力活动、健康和社会人口统计数据相关联，而无需使用行政边界。对城市形态与步行行为之间关系的评估表明，居住在市中心的老年女性比居住在城市边缘、郊区社区和商业可达性差的城市边缘的女性更有可能步行；然而，与居住在公园可达性差的城市边缘或卫星城的女性相比，这些女性步行的可能性并不显著更高。小型标准化地理单元和聚类的实用性可用于衡量和定义支持研究建筑环境与健康影响的建筑环境。这些发现可以为塑造社区和促进积极生活的环境/政策干预提供信息。
