Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for Chinese Seniors

The original English [17 (link)] and Chinese translation [18 (link)] of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale - Abbreviated (NEWS-A) were the source instruments used to develop the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for Chinese Seniors (NEWS-CS). The original NEWS-A assesses perceived environmental characteristics, stemming in part from the urban planning literature, believed to influence walking and other forms of physical activity [16 (link),17 (link)]. It consists of 54 items. These are grouped into subscales including perceived residential density, proximity to non-residential land uses (land use mix - diversity), ease of access to non-residential uses (land use mix - access), street connectivity, infrastructure for walking and cycling, aesthetics, traffic safety and safety from crime. Four single items assess hilly streets, difficult car parking in shopping areas, absence of cul-de-sacs, and perceived major physical barriers to walking. All subscales and single items, with the exception of residential density and land use mix - diversity, are rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Residential density items use a 5-point scale, whereby ratings are weighted relative to the average residential density that a specific item represents. The weighted ratings are summed to create a perceived residential density score. Land use mix - diversity is assessed by the perceived walking proximity from home to various destinations, with responses ranging from 1- to 5-minute to >30-min walking distance. The NEWS-A has been shown to have acceptable levels of validity and reliability [16 (link)-18 (link)]. A study on Hong Kong adults reported high levels of test-retest reliability of the Chinese version of the NEWS-A [18 (link)].
The version of the NEWS-CS examined in this study encompasses all but two items of the NEWS-A, in their original or slightly modified form, and 24 additional items describing features of the environment relevant to the study setting and senior residents (see Development and translation section below).