The survey was designed to assess the amount of physical activity people in a specific community get on a regular basis. This does not just include "planned" physical activities such as workouts at the local gym but also "incidental" daily physical activities performed such as walking or climbing stairs. Public health campaigns such as Healthy People 2020 have identified physical activity as an important health indicator relevant to a number of public health issues including obesity, heart health, diabetes, and cancer.
Because community health, or more specifically heart health within the community, is also related to specific characteristics of the community (ethnics set-up, availability of service centers, urban planning, etc.) the survey also included items related to the characteristics of the community surveyed.
Research population: Community - Community Health
Healthy People 2020 is a public health initiative aimed at improving the overall health of Americans. The notion of public health refers to efforts to prevent disease, prolong life, and promote health (Krieger, Williams, & Moss, 1997). Within this broad framework, public health recognizes diversity, as expressed through various communities it serves, as a smaller unit of the overall population. Community-based research in public health accordingly focuses on social, structural, and environmental inequalities that affect the health outcome of that specific community (Israel, Schulz, Parker, & Becker, 1998). Moreover, community-based research tries to actively involve community members, local organizations, and community representatives in conducting research, finding solutions and bringing about change (Goodman et al., 1998). The overall goal of community-based research is thus to service a specific community by identifying problems and actively engaging community members to seek solutions.
The research population interviewed for this surve
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