Irvine – Minnesota Inventory

This comprehensive research tool is intended to be an advance on existing instruments. It has been developed to collect data on physical environment features potentially linked to physical activity, for use in research on the relationship between the physical environment and physical activity

This is an observational audit, with street “segments” in residential neighbourhoods or commercial districts as the basis. A ‘segment’ is considered to be the equivalent of the single side of two street blocks.

Additional information is collected using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. This includes density, intersection patterns, street length and street width.

The tool focuses on physical environment features that may be linked to walking and cycling.

It includes 162 items in four domains or areas that are potentially related to:

• Accessibility
• Pleasurability
• Human needs and comfort
• Safety

Irvine-Minnesota Inventory instrument - [View/Print PDF]

Irvine-Minnesota Inventory code books:
Final Codebook 1 - [View/Print PDF]
Final Codebook 2 - [View/Print PDF]
Final Codebook 3 - [View/Print PDF]

Active Living Research website
http://www.activelivingresearch.org/index.php/Irvine_Minnesota_Inventory/334

Centre for Physical Activity and Health – Apr 2006 Paper of the Month
Development of a comprehensive tool for auditing characteristics of the built environment relevant to physical activity

Day K et al. The Irvine-Minnesota Inventory to measure built environments: development. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2006;30: 144-152. (Note: this article includes a critique of the SPACES tool and the St Louis tool)

Boarnet M et al. The Irvine-Minnesota Inventory to measure built environments: reliability tests. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2006;30: 153-159.

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