Costos de la Logística Inversa de los envases de bebidas en lata

Articles discussing how researchers might want to design studies on the built environment and health are rather limited. It is an issue that has resurfaced in recent years, particularly in the fields of planning and environmental health (Perdue et al. 2003; Blake 2008; Blake 2008a; Heishman and Dannenberg 2008). The conditions in which people lived were at one time a major concern of planners, environmental and public health professionals, civil engineers, and urban geographers (Corburn 2004). Eventually, as communities were assumed to be healthier in places like the UK and the U.S., many in the field felt it was no longer necessary to focus on health and the built environment. Instead, researchers began to pursue studies on the growth and development of urban areas. Within the past decade, urban planners and environmental health professionals have made a concerted effort to once again make the public aware of the importance of healthy communities.

Weich et al. (2001) have produced the only available article on measuring the built environment. They note that there are limited reliable measures of place with which to study the effects of socioeconomic variables on health. Their study on measuring the built environment was conducted prior to an examination of the effects of an urban renewal program on the mental health of local residents in north London. The renewal program was initiated to improve the quality of the built environment. Weich et al. (2001) hypothesized that improvements in the built environment would cause a decrease in the incidence of depression.

The respondents were chosen using random probability sampling methods. Once the respondents were chosen, no substitutions were allowed. The two study wards were sub-divided into housing units. The housing units were defined through observation by one of the authors and areas were designated based on similar form and character of structures. In order to evaluate

the built environment, Weich et al. (2001) created a built environment site survey checklist (BESSC). It contained a number of items to be rated, including housing form, height, and age; the number of dwellings and type of access; gardens and public space; the number of dilapidated structures; security; and accessibility to a number of services.

Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with the place in which they lived and the results were assessed using kappa and kappa weighted statistics. This is the most widely used measure of inter-rater reliability and allows one to notice the difference between the level of agreement of two raters and that expected by chance. The authors did find evidence of statistically significant associations between five measures of the built environment and occurrence of depression. Cases of depression were more likely to be where the individual was living in housing on newer properties with deck access but fewer gardens. They were also likely to share recreational spaces and patches of graffiti were common in their neighborhoods.

The authors note that their approach may be criticized for not incorporating the residents‟ views about the boundaries of their neighborhoods. They also state, however, that relationships were found between researcher-defined neighborhoods and residents‟ satisfaction with their housing areas. A major limitation to their study is the applicability of the survey to other urban areas, and to suburban and rural settings as well. The authors recommended for further research to validate the measure for other urban areas.

From more of a policy perspective, Douglas et al. (2001) present the idea of health impact assessment (HIA). The idea behind HIA is to predict health impacts so recommendations can be made to advance policy, and ultimately, to improve health. In order to work on the development of the HIA, the authors conducted two case studies. The first case study compared three scenarios for the future development of the transportation network in Edinburgh. Using

different grids, they were able to determine the impacts of the network on different population groups. In the second case study, they assessed the health impacts of investment in housing in disadvantaged areas of Edinburgh.

In their HIA of the urban transport strategy, the authors found that the scenario with the most funding would produce the greatest health gain. They also noted that the lower funding scenario would have effects on health, particularly those classified in the most disadvantaged groups. In the second case study, a number of physical and mental health impacts were identified. The housing strategy had the greatest impact on mental health, specifically stress and depression. Redevelopment also created greater self-esteem among residents. Like Weich et al. (2001), the authors concluded that there is no single blueprint for HIA and different approaches and methods will be required for different situations.

In this dissertation, the goal is to begin the process of determining aspects of the built environment that are most relevant to poor health. Though an extensive amount of research has been conducted on the built environment and health, a great deal focuses on just one aspect of the built environment. In the next section, a number of studies are presented to show the diversity of work that has been accomplished. Many researchers concerned with the built environment and health are now acknowledging that future studies need to consider multiple aspects (Srinivasan, O‟Fallon and Dearry 2003; Dearry 2004). In order to influence future policy and promote better health, those aspects of the built environment that are detrimental to a person‟s well-being must be identified.