Many rural communities have assessed how activity friendly they are

Question

What assessment tool is especially useful for local rural community leaders seeking to build partnerships and involve community members in identifying needs and designing and implementing active living interventions?

A) Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Activity Friendly Tool
B) SPACES instrument
C) Irvine-Minnesota Inventory
D) Rural Active Living Assessment

Answer 1

Ans: D
Often with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), communities have assessed how "activity friendly" they are. This assessment process has typically involved a process of walking the sidewalks of a neighborhood with a checklist or other formal assessment tool in hand, observing the condition of the housing, sidewalks, crosswalks, intersections, recreational facilities, school areas, and such. Until very recently, the tools available for these assessments were developed for, and field tested in, urban and suburban neighborhoods, including the SPACES instrument and Irvine-Minnesota Inventory. Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research are national programs funded by RWJF, providing research to address childhood obesity. In recent years, these programs have funded a small number of projects to begin exploring the needs of rural communities in this effort. Collaboration among three of their grantees has produced a set of instruments that are designed specifically for use in rural communities. Known as the Rural Active Living Assessment tools, these instruments are especially useful for local community leaders seeking to build partnerships and to involve community members in identifying needs and designing and implementing interventions.