Background: The aim was to examine inter-rater and alternate-form reliability of the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) Global tool to assess the physical environment along likely walking routes in Belgium.
Methods: For 65 children participating in the BEPAS-children study, routes between their individual homes and the nearest pre-defined destination were defined. Using MAPS Global, physical environmental characteristics of the routes were audited by 4 trained auditors (2 on-site, 2 online using Google Street View). Inter-rater reliability was studied for on-site and online ratings separately. Alternate-form reliability was examined by comparing on-site with online ratings.
Results: Inter-rater reliability for on-site ratings was acceptable for 68% of items (kappa range 0.03-1.00) and for online ratings for 60% of items (kappa range -0.03 to 1.00). Acceptable alternate-form reliability was reported for 60% of items (kappa range -0.01 to 1.00/r range 0.31-1.00).
Conclusions: MAPS Global can be used to assess the physical environment of potential walking routes. For areas where Google Street View imagery is widely covered and often updated, MAPS Global can be completed online.
Keywords: Active transport; Built environment; Children; Google street view; Physical activity; Walking for transport; Walking routes.