Mapping youth perceptions of physical activity resources: An approach combining community-based participatory research (CBPR) & geographic information systems (GIS)

While it is clear that social and built environmental factors such as sidewalks, parks, and safety influence physical activity and health, there is no consensus about how to assess the interrelationships of these factors and translate local contextual knowledge into action. Studies measuring these factors have produced inconsistent results, suggesting that a combination of approaches is necessary to better understand the layers of knowledge and meaning in youth neighborhood environments. The purpose of this paper is to outline a CBPR-GIS approach for gaining local knowledge of youth neighborhood environments.  As part of a local non-profit’s youth summer program, the CBPR-GIS approach draws upon the knowledge of fifteen local adolescents (ages 12-17) and integrates several research activities, including environmental audits (sidewalk assessments), an interactive focus group that produces youth-identified themes, sketch mapping, and GIS. The youths revealed that a lack of neighborhood recreational spaces and safety were major barriers to physical activity.  The mapping data showed that the safety concerns were concentrated around local schools and in the low-income neighborhoods in the northern portion of the study area. By integrating various methods with GIS, the CBPR-GIS approach allows us to gain in-depth insight into how youth perceive neighborhood physical activity resources. The resulting maps provide us with place-based community input that can be used to target local interventions for improving youth access to physical activity resources.