Abstract
Compositional data techniques are an emerging method in physical activity research. These techniques account for the complexities of, and interrelationships between, behaviours that occur throughout a day (e.g., physical activity, sitting, and sleep). The field of health geography research is also developing rapidly. Novel spatial techniques and data visualisation approaches are increasingly being recognised for their utility in understanding health from a socio-ecological perspective. Linking compositional data approaches with geospatial datasets can yield insights into the role of environments in promoting or hindering the health implications of the daily time-use composition of behaviours. The 7-day behaviour data used in this study were derived from accelerometer data for 882 Auckland school children and linked to weight status and neighbourhood deprivation. We developed novel geospatial visualisation techniques to explore activity composition over a day and generated new insights into links between environments and child health behaviours and outcomes. Visualisation strategies that integrate compositional activities, time of day, weight status, and neighbourhood deprivation information were devised. They include a ringmap overview, small-multiple ringmaps, and individual and aggregated time–activity diagrams. Simultaneous visualisation of geospatial and compositional behaviour data can be useful for triangulating data from diverse disciplines, making sense of complex issues, and for effective knowledge translation.
Highlights
Time is a finite and scarce resource that shapes people’s daily lives as they schedule various activities
Girls were slightly over-represented in the youngest group (55.6%), more were classified as overweight or obese (53.7%), and more lived in the most deprived areas (54.0%) compared to boys; 75.4% of the children were classified as normal or underweight, while 24.6% were classified as overweight or obese
Traditional approaches that report aggregated data commonly miss the timing of activities and the composition of an individual’s daily activity patterns, which are complex and may differ in meaningful ways in different populations
Summary
Time is a finite and scarce resource that shapes people’s daily lives as they schedule various activities. How people use their daily time is a major determinant of people’s well-being and health [1,2]. Seen from a perspective of movement, one’s daily living is made up of a sequence of activities such as moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; generally >3 metabolic equivalents (METs), e.g., brisk walking or running), light-intensity physical activity (LPA; 1.5–3 METs, e.g., casual walking), sedentary behaviour (SB; ≤1.5 METs), and sleep. Activity can be accrued through a range of dimensions, including organised sport, unstructured free play, and active travel Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 897; doi:10.3390/ijerph16050897 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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