Methods

Between May and December 2014 people were visited at their homes by trained researchers and invited to participate in the survey. Surveys were completed at a time and place of the participant’s choice, and in their choice of English, Samoan, or Tongan language. People living in the study area aged 7 or older were invited to participate in the survey.

The survey asked questions about how people got to and from places like work, school, shops, and friends houses. Extra questions were asked about walking for recreation and levels of physical activity and sitting time. People were also asked their thoughts about the safety of their neighbourhood, how easy it is to get around, how connected their community is, and whether they had experienced any road traffic crash injuries in the past year. A number of general questions were asked to understand the characteristics of people participating in the survey (e.g., age, amount of time having lived in the study area).

Households were visited again in 2017 (after the roadworks were completed and the fitness trail had been built) and the survey was repeated. Differences in travel, physical activity, and neighbourhood perceptions between the two surveys are currently being calculated to see whether any change has occurred.

For the first survey (2014), people were also given a pedometer (step counter) to wear for a week. The pedometers were used to measure the amount of walking that people did. This was not repeated in 2017, but we hope to be able to measure step counts again in the future.