WALKI-MUC
Summary
The project WALKI-MUC aims to evaluate and improve the Walkability of selected neighbourhoods in Munich. The evaluation of Walkability is based on the perception of children and youth (CY) living in these neighbourhoods. In the first phase of the project, walkable places (within walking distance for CY from their homes) that, according to CY, are supportive for physical activity will be identified and qualitatively described by the participants with the help of participatory approaches (Photovoice, Walking interviews and Community Mapping). The identified places will be presented together on neighbourhood maps and in Walkability Atlas for dissemination. Further, a questionnaire will be developed to quantitatively assess the perceived Walkability of CY based on the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale for Youth (NEWS-Y by Rosenberg et al. 2009) in English. This instrument will be translated into German resulting in a NEWS-Y-German (NEWS-Y-G). Consequently, the NEWS-Y-G will be used to assess the subjective Walkability of youth in selected neighbourhoods of Munich. The results can be compared with objective measures of Walkability, e.g. the Walkability Index Munich and be used for their further development.
Background
Physical inactivity in children and youth is a major public health issue that is at risk to be reinforced by the currently observed phenomenon of rural migration and urbanisation. The quality of open public spaces in urban areas and in particular their perception, i.e. the awareness of their existence by the population, is essential for health and quality of life. From a psychological perspective, the natural and built environment have a major impact on behaviour by providing incentives, so called affordances, to behave in a specific way. It is against this background that visual affordances in the built and natural environment can influence levels of physical activity by creating opportunities or even barriers to move, play or exercise. In scientific research, built- and natural-environmental characteristics related to the level of physical activity are usually summarized under the term “Walkability”. In the context of urban development and health promotion this term became increasingly important regarding the activity-friendliness of a city.
Typically, the construct Walkability is measured by using Geographic Information System software (GIS), calculated as the sum of parameters of urban density, land use mix, street connectivity and distance to facilities together described as objective Walkability. One of these measures is the so-called Walkability Index, which aims at representing their features in only one objective Walkability variable. This Walkability Index exists for Munich. Meanwhile, studies suggest a broader understanding of Walkability for children and adolescents that focuses on the construct in the context of leisure activities. Written surveys and interviews are currently the preferred and predominant approaches in subjective Walkability research with the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) being the most commonly used.
To the best of our knowledge, the attempts in Germany and particularly in Munich to measure the subjective Walkability of CY and to describe how the environment supports physical activity of this target group are scarce. In this regard, a combination of participatory approaches (Photovoice, Walking Interviews and Community Mapping) together with quantitative measures like the NEWS-Y seems promising as it fulfils the need of a better expression of the participants and thus also the need of a deeper understanding of the researchers.
Current developments
An estimated 80% of adolescents aged 11-17 years from 105 countries do not reach the 60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In Germany, more than 70% of 3 to 17 year olds neither meet the recommendations and are considered to be rather physically inactive.
At the same time, the relevance of environmental factors is growing with more and more people living in urban settings: the world’s population living in urban areas is expected to rise to 70% by 2050. In Munich (metropolitan area), a forecasted population growth of 14.7% in the period 2017 to 2035 is expected to result in a higher pressure of residential densification.
Aim of the project
The overarching goal is to evaluate the subjective Walkability and physical activity-friendliness in Munich comprehensively from the perspective of the target group of children and youth. By descriptions of walkable places that are supportive for physical activity and their dissemination to a broad public, it is our aim to increase their use for leisure time activities and to establish health-promoting behaviours among children and youth. The participating CY in the study have a chance to explore their living environment and to become more aware of physical activity-friendly places in their neighbourhoods.
Time horizon
Start: 05/2021; End: 05/2023
Perspective and network
There is a lack of digital information and platforms that visualise walkable opportunities for physical activity in public spaces for CY in Munich (Walkability Atlas). This places have to be made available comprehensively to CY including incentives to actively (playfully) use them. The findings from WALKI-MUC i.e. the places identified by CY will be linked with an App developed in the "Virtual Health-KIJANI" project, in order to provide the gamification content of the App in meaningful places. The KIJANI project aims to make a significant contribution to research and practice in the area of augmented reality, health promotion and urban development.
Project partners
- Dr. Birgit Böhm, TUM, Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
- Jens Klinker, TUM, Professorship for Digital Health
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Humpe, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Department of Tourism
Contact
We welcome all interested children, adolescents and parents who want to participate in the study!
If you have any questions about WALKI-MUC, please contact us.