Grant: IPPH Travel Awards - CPHA Annual Conference

Neighbourhood built environment resources, such as green spaces and recreational facilities, have been associated with residents' health. Objective presence of such resources, however, does not equate to access, use, and a subsequent health improvement. In this study we explored (1) how individuals experienced their neighbourhood environment, and (2) how social factors interacted with the built environment to shape different groups' use of resources. Eight "go-along" focus groups were conducted with children, youth, adults, and seniors living in two marginalized neighbourhoods in Toronto, Canada. Participants led the interviewer on a walk through their neighbourhood. At each pre-identified stop, they discussed experiences they had with the place, what they (dis)liked about it, and facilitators and barriers to using the resources available. Informed by a relational approach to place, a content analysis of focus group transcripts, notes, and maps allowed for viewing resource use as emerging from the interaction between individuals and the environment. Go-along focus groups allow us to harness people's lived experiences of their neighbourhood. Aspects of the social environment, such as perceived safety considerations driven by the presence of people loitering or selling drugs on the property, emerged as a key barrier to using neighbourhood resources. Specific groups, such as working-age women, also identified broader social circumstances, such as having a low income, living in precarious housing, and having to care for relatives, as more important for their health than the built environment itself. Social factors interact with the built environment to complexify the relationship between the environment, resource use, and health. When designing built environment interventions to foster social inclusion and health equity, we should move beyond an exclusive focus on objective characteristics to also attend to the lived experiences people have of urban spaces.