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Gaining useful information about our built, social and natural environments is vital and possible. The value of data for cities is more informed, more effective management and development choices resulting in more benefits to a greater range of stakeholders. This article explores the state-of-play of data infrastructures in New Zealand to identify the challenges to gaining better value from geospatial information. Following engagement with built environment data custodians and information users, it analyses how digital information infrastructure can support the sharing and use of richer and more comprehensive information by weaving a supportive fabric across data. The analysis reveals that data infrastructures primarily need to facilitate agreement on data management, sharing and use; the sharing of costs and benefits across stakeholders; and emphasise place as a powerful driver to richer information. An overarching sociotechnical approach to digital information infrastructure weaves data platforms, policy and technology together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of neighbourhoods for health and wellbeing may vary according to an individual's reliance on their local resources, but this assertion is rarely tested. We investigate whether greater neighbourhood ‘exposure’ through reliance on or engagement with the residential setting magnifies neighbourhood-health associations. Methods Three built environment characteristics (destination density, streetscape (attractiveness of built environment) and street connectivity) and two physical activity components (weekday and weekend accelerometer counts) were measured for 2033 residents living in 48 neighbourhoods within four New Zealand cities in 2009–2010, giving six different built environment–physical activity associations. Interactions for each built environment–physical activity association with four individual-level characteristics (acting as proxies for exposure: gender, working status, car access, and income) were assessed with multi-level regression models; a total of 24 ‘tests’. Results Of the 12 weekday built environment–physical activity tests, 5 interaction terms were significant (p < 0.05) in the expected direction (e.g. stronger streetscape–physical activity among those with restricted car access). For weekend tests, one association was statistically significant. No significant tests were contradictory. Pooled across the 12 weekday physical activity ‘tests’, a 1 standard deviation increase in the walkability of the built environment was associated with an overall 3.8% (95% CI: 3.6%–4.1%) greater increase in weekday physical activity across all the types of people we hypothesised to spend more time in their residential neighbourhood, and for weekend physical activity it was 4.2% (95% CI 3.9%–4.5%). Conclusions Using multiple evaluation methods, interactions were in line with our hypothesis, with a stronger association seen for proxy exposure indicators (for example, restricted car access). Added to the wider evidence base, our study strengthens causal evidence of an effect of the built environment on physical activity, and highlights that health gains from improvements of the residential neighbourhood may be greater for some people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the associations between body size and built environment walkability variables, as well as the mediating role of physical activity and sedentary behaviours with body size.Methods: Objective environment, body size (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC)), and sedentary time and physical activity data were collected from a random selection of 2033 adults aged 20-65 years living in 48 neighbourhoods across four New Zealand cities. Multilevel regression models were calculated for each comparison between body size outcome and built environment exposure.Results and Discussion: Street connectivity and neighborhood destination accessibility were significant predictors of body size (1 SDchange predicted a 1.27 to 1.41 % reduction in BMI and a 1.76 to 2.29 % reduction in WC). Significantrelationships were also observed for streetscape (1 SD change predicted a 1.33 % reduction in BMI) anddwelling density (1 SD change predicted a 1.97 % reduction in BMI). Mediation analyses revealed asignificant mediating effect of physical activity on the relationships between body size and street connectivity and neighbourhood destination accessibility (explaining between 10.4 and 14.6 % of the total effect). No significant mediating effect of sedentary behaviour was found. Findings from this cross-sectional study of a random selection of New Zealand adults are consistent with international research. Findings are limited to individual environment features only; conclusions cannot be drawn about the cumulative and combined effect of individual features on outcomes.Conclusions: Built environment features were associated with body size in the expected directions. Objectively-assessed physical activity mediated observed built environment-body size relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health behavior takes place within social contexts. In this study, we investigated whether changes in exposure to neighborhood deprivation and smoking prevalence and to household smoking were associated with change in personal smoking behavior. Three waves of biannual data collection (2004-2009) in a New Zealand longitudinal study, the Survey of Family, Income and Employment (SoFIE)-Health, were used, with 13,815 adults (persons aged ≥15 years) contributing to the analyses. Smoking status was dichotomized as current smoking versus never/ ex-smoking. Fixed-effects regression analyses removed time-invariant confounding and adjusted for time-varying covariates (neighborhood smoking prevalence and deprivation, household smoking, labor force status, income, household tenure, and family status). A between-wave decile increase in neighborhood deprivation was significantly associated with increased odds of smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.14), but a between-wave increase in neighborhood smoking prevalence was not (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.98, 1.10). Changing household exposures between waves to live with another smoker (compared with a nonsmoker (referent)) increased the odds of smoking (OR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.84, 3.34), as did changing to living in a sole-adult household (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.14). Tobacco control policies and programs should address the broader household and neighborhood circumstances within which individual smoking takes place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of individual and neighborhood-level factors may influence the relationship between recorded crime in one's neighborhood and fear of crime. Understanding these factors may assist in reducing fear, which has been associated with poorer physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the effect of recorded crime rates on fear differs based on the neighborhood social context (social fragmentation) using hierarchical regression modelling, with separate analyses by crime type. Recorded crimes (2008-2010) and national (New Zealand) survey data were used. Higher crime in a neighborhood was associated with higher fear of crime, with only small effect size differences in feelings of fear by recorded type of crime. However, when stratified, the associations between violent and drug/alcohol crimes and fear of crime were larger for those living in highly fragmented neighborhoods compared with less fragmented neighborhoods. Efforts to alleviate fear of crime should focus on the broader neighborhood social context in which these feelings are espoused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being physically active has demonstrated health benefits, and more walkable neighbourhoods can potentially increase physical activity. Yet not all neighbourhoods provide opportunities for active lifestyles. This paper examines the social context of being active in local and non-local places. We use a social practice theoretical framework to examine how residents talk about and make sense of physical activity and places, contrasting individual and neighbourhood factors. In 2010, fourteen focus groups were held in four neighbourhoods varying by walkability and area-level deprivation (two Auckland and two Wellington, New Zealand), and with participants grouped by gender, ethnicity, and employment. Focus groups elicited discussion on where local residents go for physical activity, and the opportunities and barriers to physical activity in their local area and beyond. Thematic analyses compared across all groups for contrasts and similarities in the issues discussed. Neighbourhood walkability factors appeared to shape where residents engage with public places, with residents seeking out good places. Individual factors (e.g. employment status) also influenced how residents engage with their local neighbourhoods. All groups referred to being active in places both close by and further afield, but residents in less walkable neighbourhoods with fewer local destinations drew attention to the need to go elsewhere, notably for exercise, being social, and to be in pleasant, restorative environments. Being physically active in public settings was valued for social connection and mental restoration, over and above specifically ‘health’ reasons. Residents talk about being active in local and non-local places revealed agency in how they managed the limitations and opportunities within their immediate residential setting. That is, factors of place and people contributed to the ‘shape’ of everyday residential environments, at least with regard to physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTo determine adherence to nutritional guidelines by pregnant women in New Zealand and maternal characteristics associated with adherence.DesignA cohort of the pregnant women enrolled into New Zealand’s new birth cohort study, Growing Up in New Zealand.SettingWomen residing within a North Island region of New Zealand, where one-third of the national population lives.SubjectsPregnant women (n 5664) were interviewed during 2009–2010. An FFQ was administered during the face-to-face interview.ResultsThe recommended daily number of servings of vegetables and fruit (≥6) were met by 25 % of the women; of breads and cereals (≥6) by 26 %; of milk and milk products (≥3) by 58 %; and of lean meat, meat alternatives and eggs (≥2) by 21 %. One in four women did not meet the recommendations for any food group. Only 3 % met all four food group recommendations. Although adherence to recommendation for the vegetables/fruit group did not vary by ethnicity (P=0·38), it did vary for the breads/cereals, milk/milk products and meat/eggs groups (all P<0·001). Adherence to recommendations for the vegetables/fruit group was higher among older women (P=0·001); for the breads/cereals group was higher for women with previous children (P<0·001) and from lower-income households (P<0·001); and for the meat/eggs group was higher for women with previous children (P=0·003) and from lower-income households (P=0·004).ConclusionsMost pregnant women in New Zealand do not adhere to nutritional guidelines in pregnancy, with only 3 % meeting the recommendations for all four food groups. Adherence varies more so with ethnicity than with other sociodemographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Exploration of the influence of neighbourhood social context on supportive relationships and social cohesion is on the rise. Positive social contexts may be less stressful for residents, resulting in mental wellbeing and calmness; whereas negative contexts may increase stress and deleterious mental health. To examine this, we measured the relationship between an Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation and overall mental well-being in New Zealand. Then we examined the influence of fragmentation on two components of mental health: depression and calmness. Increased fragmentation was significantly associated with lower mental health scores for the entire population and for females, with similar but insignificant trends for males. Increased fragmentation was associated with increased depression in both sexes, but not calmness. Depression rather than calmness may contribute to the observed association between fragmentation and overall mental health. Groups vulnerable to stressful social contexts may be prone to depression in fragmented neighbourhoods. Further examination of the specific aspects of living in fragmented neighbourhoods which increase depressive feelings is warranted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Evidence of associations between neighborhood built environments and transport-related physical activity (PA) is accumulating, but few studies have investigated associations with leisure-time PA. Objective: We investigated associations of five objectively measured characteristics of the neighborhood built environment-destination access, street connectivity, dwelling density, land-use mix and streetscape quality-with residents' self-reported PA (transport, leisure, and walking) and accelerometer-derived measures of PA. Methods: Using a multicity stratified cluster sampling design, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 2,033 adults who lived in 48 New Zealand neighborhoods. Multilevel regression modeling, which was adjusted for individual-level (sociodemographic and neighborhood preference) and neighborhood-level (deprivation) confounders, was used to estimate associations of built environment with PA.Results: We found that 1-SD increases in destination access, street connectivity, and dwelling density were associated with any versus no self-reported transport, leisure, or walking PA, with increased odds ranging from 21% [street connectivity with leisure PA, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0%, 47%] to 44% (destination accessibility with walking, 95% CI: 17%, 79%). Among participants who self-reported some PA, a 1-SD increase in street connectivity was associated with a 13% increase in leisure PA (95% CI: 0, 28%). SD increases in destination access, street connectivity, and dwelling density were each associated with 7% increases in accelerometer counts. Conclusions: Associations of neighborhood destination access, street connectivity, and dwelling density with self-reported and objectively measured PA were moderately strong, indicating the potential to increase PA through changes in neighborhood characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the development and validation of a neighbourhood measure of social fragmentation. Firstly, we developed a theoretical model of neighbourhood-level social fragmentation, as the structural antecedent to collective social functioning, with three domains (attachment, resources, and means of sharing of norms and values). Secondly, utilising the New Zealand 1996 and 2001 Censuses, variables were constructed to create the New Zealand Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation (NeighFrag) at the small-area level. Nine census variables contributed substantively to a principal components analysis: homeownership, mobility, marital status, nonfamily households, single-person households, children, immigrants, non-English/Maori speakers, and long-term residents. Thirdly, relationships between NeighFrag and other contextual measures were examined, as well as its relationship with individual perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion. The NeighFrag index had a moderate association with deprivation and social capital. It was inversely associated with individual perception of neighbourhood cohesion in multilevel analyses, after adjusting for individual factors and neighbourhood deprivation. Combined, this suggests that NeighFrag provides a meaningful national-level index of neighbourhood social environments for use in analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Studies investigating relationships between mental health and residential areas suggest that certain characteristics of neighbourhood environments matter. After developing a conceptual model of neighbourhood social fragmentation and health we examine this relationship (using the New Zealand Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation (NeighFrag)) with self-reported mental health (using SF-36). We used the nationally representative 2002/3 New Zealand Health Survey dataset of urban adults, employing multilevel methods. Results suggest that increasing neighbourhood-level social fragmentation is associated with poorer mental health, when simultaneously accounting for individual-level confounding factors and neighbourhood-level deprivation. The association was modified by sex (stronger association seen for women) and labour force status (unemployed women more sensitive to NeighFrag than those employed or not in labour force). There was limited evidence of any association of fragmentation with non-mental health outcomes, suggesting specificity for mental health. Social fragmentation as a property of neighbourhoods appears to have a specific association with mental health among women, and particularly unemployed women, in our study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Adult socioeconomic position (SEP) is one of the most frequently hypothesised indirect pathways between childhood SEP and adult health. However, few studies that explore the indirect associations between childhood SEP and adult health systematically investigate the mediating role of multiple individual measures of adult SEP for different health outcomes. We examine the potential mediating role of individual measures of adult SEP in the associations of childhood SEP with self-rated health, self-reported mental health, current smoking status and binge drinking in adulthood. Methods: Data came from 10,010 adults aged 25-64 years at Wave 3 of the Survey of Family, Income and Employment in New Zealand. The associations between childhood SEP (assessed using retrospective information on parental occupation) and self-rated health, self-reported psychological distress, current smoking status and binge drinking were determined using logistic regression. Models were adjusted individually for the mediating effects of education, household income, labour market activity and area deprivation. Results: Respondents from a lower childhood SEP had a greater odds of being a current smoker (OR 1.70 95% CI 1.42-2.03), reporting poorer health (OR 1.82 95% CI 1.39-2.38) or higher psychological distress (OR 1.60 95% CI 1.20- 2.14) compared to those from a higher childhood SEP. Two-thirds to three quarters of the association of childhood SEP with current smoking (78%), and psychological distress (66%) and over half the association with poor self-rated health (55%) was explained by educational attainment. Other adult socioeconomic measures had much smaller mediating effects. Conclusions: This study suggests that the association between childhood SEP and self-rated health, psychological distress and current smoking in adulthood is largely explained through an indirect socioeconomic pathway involving education. However, household income, area deprivation and labour market activity are still likely to be important as they are intermediaries in turn, in the socioeconomic pathway between education and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, there has been a resurgence of interest into place-based influences on health. Researchers have identified that various characteristics of neighbourhoods exert an influence on the health outcomes and behaviours of local residents. Understanding the processes linking places to health provides considerable potential for a range of policy interventions. We review the New Zealand-based neighbourhoods and health research. Consideration is given to the types of neighbourhood characteristics, as well the range of health outcomes that have been studied. Finally, we suggest some priorities for further research into the mechanisms underpinning neighbourhood influences on health in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2010–2011 Christchurch (Canterbury) Earthquakes in New Zealand caused considerable harm, damage and disruption to the lives and livelihoods of residents. Our study examines the role earthquake-related failures in the transportation network played in post-earthquake economic performance, including during the immediate recovery phase. We use detailed (neighbourhood-level) spatial data on both transportation disruptions and economic activity, and how they have spatially and temporally varied across the city in the years prior to and following the earthquakes. We find that the impacts of transportation breakdowns on economic activity was observable and significant and has likely gone beyond areas that experienced direct damage due to the network nature of transport and the locational nature of business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association of social capital with health and mortality is contentious, and empirical findings are inconsistent. This study tests the association of neighbourhood-level volunteerism with mortality., Methods: Cohort study of 1996 New Zealand census respondents aged 25-74 years (4.75 million person years) using multilevel Poisson regression analyses. Neighbourhood (average population 2,034) measures included indices of social capital (volunteering activities for all census respondents) and deprivation., Results: Adjusting for just age and marital status, the mortality rate ratios for people living in the quintile of neighbourhoods with the lowest compared with highest volunteerism were 1.16 (95% confidence interval 1.08-1.24) and 1.09 (1.01-1.18), for males and females, respectively. Adjusting for potential individual-level and neighbourhood-level socioeconomic confounders reduced the rate ratios to 0.94 (0.88-1.01) and 0.92 (0.85-1.01), respectively. There was no significant association with any cause of death, including suicide [rate ratios 0.89 (0.64-1.22) and 0.57 (0.31-1.05), respectively]. Restricting the analyses to only those census respondents living at their census night address for five or more years, and therefore 'exposed' to that level of volunteerism for a longer period, did not substantially alter findings., Conclusions: This study, one of the largest multilevel studies yet, found no statistically significant independent association of a structural measure of neighbourhood social capital with mortality-including suicide. Assuming social features of neighbourhoods are important determinants of health, future research should examine other features (e.g. social fragmentation) and other outcomes (e.g. behaviour).