Built environment

Public Health Authorities, Public Policies and the Built Environment: Reference Framework

The concept of built environment refers to the human-constructed aspects of the living environments of populations. Together these constructed elements form an important part of human habitats, in that they affect the manner in which the places we inhabit are organized and populated. This document presents a reference framework to contextualize the concept of “built environment” while linking it to the actions of public health authorities in Canada.

The living conditions of populations, which include the built environment, have long been considered by North American and European health authorities to be important health determinants. Foucault (1976) showed that modern European public health administrations developed in parallel with increasing urban populations in the 18th century, notably because of concerns these increases raised about the impact of habitat on population health.

Built Environment: Public Policy, Actors, Barriers, and Levers - Knowledge Exchange Colloquium

The Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) project is an initiative of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC). Through this project, seven coalitions have been funded to integrate and build upon their practices to prevent cancer and other chronic diseases with similar determinants. The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) is a partner in one of these funded coalitions, Healthy Canada by Design. The principal goal of this coalition is to inspire change in the ways in which the built environment is currently developed, by influencing the policies that inform it. Gathering numerous partners from six health authorities, all members of the Urban Public Health Network (UPHN), the focus of this coalition is specifically the built environment of Canada’s large urban centres.

Funding for the Healthy Canada by Design coalition has made numerous knowledge exchange opportunities possible. One of these was the day-long colloquium…

Built Environment and Physical Activity Among Young People

The built environment, composed of all the buildings, spaces, and products that have been created or modified by people, has undeniably an impact on our health and quality of life. This first issue of the TOPO collection documents, in a nutshell, the relation between the built environment and physical activity amoung young people. It addresses the following questions: "What opportunities provided by the built environment promote physical activity by young people?", "What characteristics of the built environment promote a physically active lifestyle among young people?", "What interventions addressing the built environment have been already implemented in Québec and elsewhere in the world?". The TOPO collection is produced by the multidisciplinary team on nutrition, physical activity, and weight-related problems prevention (Nutrition, activité physique et prévention des problèmes reliés au poids) at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec.

Numer…

The Impact of the Built Environment on Physical Activity, Diet, and Body Weight: Summary

The built environment has an influence on lifestyle and body weight

Physical activity is promoted through:

  • More walkable neighbourhoods
  • The presence of sidewalks, walking paths, and bike paths
  • A substantial presence of recreational and sports infrastructure including parks, pools, playgrounds, and sports clubs.

Healthy eating is promoted through:

  • Having easy access to food retailers that are located close to homes and that offer healthy foods at affordable prices.

The environment as the target of healthy public policy

Several health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and Kino-Québec have identified the built environment as one of the targets for significant action to address weight-related problems in our societies and recommend:

  • Promoting active tr…

Geographical Indicators of the Built Environment and Services Environment Influencing Physical Activity, Diet and Body Weight

Background and Objective
Over the past few years, excess weight has become one of the most troubling public health problems. Globally, organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) have described the current situation as epidemic. Factors that can explain this trend are linked to complex interactions between individual characteristics and environmental aspects. The built environment and the services environment are elements that can influence individuals' behaviours, lifestyle habits and body weight. The main objective of this document is to analyze and present various indicators of the built environment and of the services environment. These indicators are constructed from a geographic information system and used in ecological studies that look at issues related to diet, physical activity and body weight.

Methods
We conducted a literature review of 56 studies, published between 2003 and 2009, using indicators develo…

Geographical analysis of the accessibility of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores around public schools in Québec

In Québec, nearly one in five children suffers from excess weight and the situation has greatly deteriorated over the past 25 years. This situation results from a large number of individual and environmental factors, including the food environment around schools. In the United States, a number of studies have documented the substantial presence of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores around schools. These types of food outlets are also more numerous around schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. In Québec, aside from the island of Montréal, not much is known about the food landscape around educational institutions or around schools in rural areas.

Method

Ten- and fifteen-minute walking zones were defined around public schools in Québec (n = 2302). Fast-food restaurants (n = 1787) and convenience stores (n = 3446) included in these zones were selected using a business directory and names of business. Logistic regression an…