FAQ's

Please write to Jacqueline Kerr (jkerr@projects.sdsu.edu) if you have other questions to add to this page.

How do I become an IPEN member? What is the advantage of being an IPEN member?
    You will be regularly informed of physical activity and the environment research around the world. We can help you publish data relevant to physical activity and the environment. We can support you in writing grant proposals to fund physical activity and the environment research.
Who can be a member of IPEN?
    Anyone interested in physical activity and the environment can join IPEN. As a minimum requirement we ask you to keep us informed about research in your country in this field, to send us any relevant publications or funding opportunities and to publicize IPEN to other interested parties around the world.
What kinds of support can I get from IPEN?
    Depending on your level of involvement, the IPEN co-ordinators can offer varying levels of support.
    1. Promoting your publications on the IPEN website.
    2. Sharing our research experience and manuals of operation.
    3. Writing letters of support for grant proposals.
    4. Reviewing grant proposals.
    5. Helping write papers and publish them in international journals.
    6. Organizing symposiums, meetings, special editions of journals.
    7. Sharing details of successful grant proposals.
    8. Acting as paid consultants on funded projects.
    9. Pooling and analyzing data.
How do I post my project or paper on this website? Do I need to get my own funding to conduct an IPEN study?
    At the moment, YES! We can offer help in writing a good proposal but you must apply for funding locally. We are attempting to secure funding for cross country projects and to co-ordinate IPEN. We also suggest that different members collaborate and try to seek funding at a regional level. (funding page)
How can I adapt the IPEN methods to fit with the culture in my country?
    We suggest that you translate the core questionnaire items that we have recommended and add items that are relevant to your culture or environment (link to self report item page). You can identify these through formative research and should test new surveys for their reliability and validity. Different countries will also have different geographic and census data available. We suggest you consult with our GIS expert ldfrank@lfcplans.com to devise the best way to use this data to create a comparable walkability index.
What first steps should I take to start an IPEN study?
    We suggest you form a transdisciplinary team and find other IPEN members to collaborate with in your country or region (IPEN members’ page). Review the literature that we have suggested throughout this site and find out what research is underway in your country or region. Find out what geographic and census data are available through transport and urban planning experts. Investigate funding opportunities. And start to develop an appropriate survey for your country.
What is NQLS?
    The Neighborhood Quality of Life Study. This is the study upon which the IPEN methodology is based. Neighborhoods in Seattle and Baltimore were selected based on GIS and census data to form a walkability/income quadrant design. Participants were randomly selected to complete self report surveys and wear an accelerometer to measure their physical activity. (NQLS page)
What is PLACE?
    Physical Activity in Localities and Community Environments is the Australian study which first replicated the NQLS methods in another country. The IPEN methods are based on our experience from NQLS and PLACE.
Why do the IPEN measures and methods matter?
    The measures and methods we recommend are based on tested materials and techniques. The main aim of IPEN is to be able to compare data from multiple sites. To do this there must be some common core of measures and methods/
Why does the location of the study matter?
    We would like data from a variety of locations in order to maximize the variability in walkability in the pooled data. There are likely to be differences across and within countries. Each country should also try to measure unique aspects of their particular environment.
What other studies deal with how the environment affects people’s physical activity?
    There is a growing body of published studies on physical activity and the environment. The Am J Prev Med 2005 Active Living Research supplement (Feb Supp 2) presents many studies (transdisciplinary team). There are also good examples in The American Journal of Public Health 2003 (Sept: 93) and American Journal of Health Promotion 2003 (18:1 Sept/Oct). Additional useful references can be found on the publications page of this website.
What is going to be done with the information obtained about how the environment affects people’s physical activity or health?
    Where possible a joint analysis will conducted on comparable data from different countries. This is likely to take place in 2010. The IPEN team is seeking funding to set up a co-ordination center to perform this data management and analysis. Other data will be compared descriptively and published through articles, special editions of journals and symposia at conferences.
Why is studying the environment important?
    By the end of the 1990s there was much evidence to indicate that trying to change individual’s physical activity behavior at a population level was only moderately successful. Environmental studies show more potential for population change, not only because they can reach many people but because the measures last longer. There is now increasingly more research demonstrating a relationship between the environment and physical activity behavior. Many theoretical models, including ecological models, also support the role of the environment in behavior change. There are many aspects to the environment, social, physical, economic and political. There are good examples in the special editions of the American Journal of Public Health 2003 (Sept: 93) and the American Journal of Health Promotion 2003 (18:1 Sept/Oct).
What is GIS?
    GIS is computer software that links geographic information (where things are) with descriptive information (what things are like). Unlike a flat paper map, where "what you see is what you get," GIS can have many layers of information. (getting started with GIS)