Development and testing of mobile technology for community park improvements: validity and reliability of the eCPAT application with youth

Gina M Besenyi; Paul Diehl; Benjamin Schooley; Brie M Turner-McGrievy; Sara Wilcox; Sonja A Wilhelm Stanis; Andrew T Kaczynski

doi:10.1007/s13142-016-0405-9

Development and testing of mobile technology for community park improvements: validity and reliability of the eCPAT application with youth

Transl Behav Med. 2016 Dec;6(4):519-532. doi: 10.1007/s13142-016-0405-9.

Authors

Gina M Besenyi¹, Paul Diehl², Benjamin Schooley², Brie M Turner-McGrievy³, Sara Wilcox^{4

5}, Sonja A Wilhelm Stanis⁶, Andrew T Kaczynski^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Clinical and Digital Health Sciences, College of Allied Health Sciences, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA. gbesenyi@gru.edu.
² Integrated Information Technology, College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
³ Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁴ Prevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁵ Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁶ Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.

Abstract

Creation of mobile technology environmental audit tools can provide a more interactive way for youth to engage with communities and facilitate participation in health promotion efforts. This study describes the development and validity and reliability testing of an electronic version of the Community Park Audit Tool (eCPAT). eCPAT consists of 149 items and incorporates a variety of technology benefits. Criterion-related validity and inter-rater reliability were evaluated using data from 52 youth across 47 parks in Greenville County, SC. A large portion of items (>70 %) demonstrated either fair or moderate to perfect validity and reliability. All but six items demonstrated excellent percent agreement. The eCPAT app is a user-friendly tool that provides a comprehensive assessment of park environments. Given the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices among both adolescents and adults, the eCPAT app has potential to be distributed and used widely for a variety of health promotion purposes.

Keywords: Audit; Engagement; Environment; Parks; Technology; Youth; eCPAT.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Environment Design
Female
Health Promotion*
Humans
Male
Parks, Recreational*
Reproducibility of Results*
Residence Characteristics
Technology / methods*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding