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Irvine Minnesota Inventory
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About Irvine Minnesota Inventory
Scale Name
Irvine Minnesota Inventory
Author Details
Kristen Day, Marlon Boarnet, Mariela Alfonzo, Ann Forsyth
Translation Availability
Not Sure
Background/Description
The Irvine Minnesota Inventory (IMI) is a comprehensive tool designed to measure features of the built environment and its impact on physical activity, particularly walking. It was developed to provide a more detailed and objective evaluation of environmental factors that can influence physical activity levels. The IMI assesses various characteristics of the environment at the street level, which can either encourage or discourage walking, such as safety, aesthetics, accessibility, and land use diversity.
Developed in collaboration between researchers from University of California, Irvine, and the University of Minnesota, the inventory is grounded in the notion that the built environment plays a crucial role in promoting or hindering physical activity. The tool is used to systematically quantify features of the environment that are known to affect active transportation and recreation.
The IMI is widely used in public health, urban planning, and environmental psychology to study how neighborhood design can promote healthier lifestyles and mitigate sedentary behaviors. Its application is significant in research aiming to inform policies and urban planning strategies that enhance walkability and overall physical activity.
Irvine Minnesota Inventory is developed by Kristen Day, Marlon Boarnet, Mariela Alfonzo, Ann Forsyth. The Irvine Minnesota Inventory measures a wide range of built environment features that may affect physical activity, especially walking. It includes 160 items, which cover four domains: accessibility, pleasurability, perceived safety from traffic, and perceived safety from crime. Understanding the impact of the built environment on physical activity levels requires reliable methods to measure potentially relevant built environment features.
The Irvine Minnesota Inventory was designed to measure a wide range of built environment features that are potentially linked to active living, especially walking. The Irvine Minnesota inventory includes 160 items, which cover four domains: accessibility (62 items), pleasurability (56 items), perceived safety from traffic (31 items), and perceived safety from crime (15 items). The inventory includes both a paper version and a version in Microsoft Access, to allow data to be input into the computer directly.
The items in the inventory were tested for inter-rater reliability (Day, Boarnet, Alfonzo, & Forsyth, 2006) in both southern California and the Minneapolis – St. Paul metropolitan area. Inter-rater reliability was high, with 77 percent of the items attaining 80% agreement or better in both southern California and Minnesota reliability tests. The predictive validity of the inventory was also tested (Boarnet, Forsyth, Day, & Oakes, 2011).
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
The IMI includes a detailed checklist used by researchers to evaluate features of the built environment in street segments.
Reliability and Validity
The Irvine Minnesota Inventory has undergone predictive validity studies to confirm that the features it measures are associated with increased levels of physical activity and walking. For instance, Boarnet et al. (2011) demonstrated that the IMI’s scores related to built environment factors could accurately predict walking behavior in different settings. Its reliability and objectivity have made it a widely accepted tool in research focused on the built environment and public health.
Available Versions
Multiple-Items
Reference
Day, K., Boarnet, M., Alfonzo, M., & Forsyth, A. (2006). The Irvine–Minnesota inventory to measure built environments: development. American journal of preventive medicine, 30(2), 144-152.
Boarnet, M. G., Forsyth, A., Day, K., & Oakes, J. M. (2011). The street level built environment and physical activity and walking: Results of a predictive validity study for the Irvine Minnesota Inventory. Environment and behavior, 43(6), 735-775.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Irvine Minnesota Inventory used for?
It is used to evaluate how street-level built environment features influence physical activity and walking.
What types of features does the IMI assess?
It assesses land use diversity, street connectivity, pedestrian infrastructure, safety features, and aesthetic qualities.
Who can administer the IMI?
Trained observers or researchers familiar with the tool and its checklist can administer the IMI.
Can the IMI be used for urban planning?
Yes, urban planners use the IMI to improve neighborhood design and promote walkability.
Is the IMI applicable to different types of environments?
Yes, the IMI can be used in urban, suburban, and rural settings to assess various built environment characteristics.
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