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Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools. What is the Built Environment?. Human-made or modified physical surroundings in which people live, work, learn and play. Adapted from: British Columbia Provincial Health Services Authority. The Relationship Between the Built Environment and Health.
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What is the Built Environment? Human-made or modified physical surroundings in which people live, work, learn and play. Adapted from: British Columbia Provincial Health Services Authority
How Planning and Design Affect Health Planning and investment policies (Acts & Regulations, provincial initiatives, regional and municipal plans, zoning and development rules) Urban form patterns (density mix, transport options, access to, and location of, parks and schools) Individual behaviour (amount of walking/biking, social isolation, diet choices, recreation & physical activity) Ripple Effect Population health impacts (chronic illness, pollution exposure, traffic accidents, social cohesion) Adapted from: Frank, Kavage & Litman 2006
What are the RALA Tools? • Set of tools to measure the “physical activity friendliness” of rural communities. • Designed for communities of <10,000. • 1st Part: • Section1: Community-Wide Assessment (CWA) • Section 2:Program and Policy Assessment (PPA) • Section 3:Street Segment Assessment (SSA) • 2nd Part: • Scoring the RALA tools
RALA Tools Development • Developed by researchers, Maine Rural Health Research Centre, University of Southern Maine • Adapted environmental audit tools for rural communities to address their unique qualities • Tested & refined by researchers at: • University of Southern Maine • Tufts University • University of Alabama • University of Mississippi
RALA Steps • Understanding the community • Preparation of information & materials • Completing the tools • Scoring • Reporting
Value of the RALA Tools • Assess accessibility • Looks at the community as a whole • Provides detailed look at specific segments of community • Assesses the programs & policies • Identifies strengths and needs of the community
Value of the RALA Tools • Identifies opportunities for improvement • Inventory of infrastructure in the community • Aid development of plans to support active living • Baseline for future plans/projects & funding