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Not strictly GIS jobs, but GIS plays a large part in the project and you will be liaising and working with the GIS team. Jon Social ecological mapping of physical activity behaviours and health outcomes in deprived inner-city communities Abstract of Research Increasing population physical activity (PA) is a priority for improved public health. The research proposed will provide a detailed mapping of the environment at lower super output area (SOA) level in Stoke on Trent (SoT) and will evaluate the relationship between the environment, PA, health and health and social care utilisation. The environmental mapping will aggregate data from available databases, augmented by local data gathering and validation, to produce a comprehensive geo-coded map of 10 SOAs (covering a population ~15000). Further analysis, using graphical information systems (GIS) and associated software, will be used to derive indices through which to evaluate the relationship between environmental characteristics and levels of physical activity and health, using hierarchical linear modelling. Environmental indices used will include: proximity of PA spaces and facilities, street connectivity, land use mix, population density, mass transport provision, traffic, safety, crime, proximity of food outlets and shops, weather and indices of multiple deprivation. The areas for mapping and baseline assessment will be considered in two parts, one community-based and one schools-based. The mapping approach will adopt a social ecological perspective, with a view to better understand (and, in future, change) the relationship between the environment and health behaviours, such as physical activity. This will include input from organisations, groups and individuals already working in the areas selected. The ten neighbourhoods (SOAs) will be chosen (structured random sample) from the 79 eligible SOAs and the ten schools will be chosen (cluster randomised sample) from the 17 secondary and 75 junior/ primary schools in SoT. For the community-based sample, sixty participants in each area will be selected at random from the Postcode Address File. Baseline data in the selected communities will be collected by independent interviewer-administered survey covering physical activity, stages of change process (self-efficacy, intentions, attitudes, subjective norms) and outcomes, health, health-related quality of life, health behaviours, perceptions of the local neighbourhood and socio-demographic information (such as gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic circumstances, education level, tenure). Data on health and social care utilisation and costs for PA participation will also be gathered. For the schools-based sample, 60 participants from each school will be selected randomly from the school list. Measures used will include PA, fitness, body mass index and waist-hip ratio. Objective measures of physical activity in both samples will be obtained using accelerometry. Findings from the project will inform public policy for increasing population PA and urban design. Principal Investigator and Lead Applicant: Professor Rachel Davey, Centre for Sport & Exercise Research, Faculty of Health and Sciences, Staffordshire University, Brindley Building, Leek Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2DF. Email: <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask] Tel: 01782 294019. Jon Fairburn <http://www.staffs.ac.uk/geography/qaa> 2004 report on teaching and learning carried out by the QAA <http://www.staffs.ac.uk/IESR/> Institute for Environment and Sustainability Research Geography Department <http://www.staffs.ac.uk/geography/> , Staffordshire University, College Road Stoke on Trent, ST4 2DE 01782 294015 E: [log in to unmask] The information in this email is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this email by anyone else is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, except for the purpose of delivery to the addressee, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Kindly notify the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your computer. To unsubscribe or modify your gis-jobs settings, please visit: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/gis-jobs