Street Survey

Post Data Collection Thoughts

2008-08-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Some final thoughts on the process of collecting data:

Partners:

From doing one half of the survey with a partner, and the other half without, I think it is important that two people go to every neighborhood. While Toby and I did not encounter any problems on the UES while doing the survey, when I was in the Flatlands alone I was asked many times what I was doing and to stop using a video recorder.

Other Important Tools to Develop:

Some people wanted to know exactly what I was doing and why. I think that it would be helpful to develop a simple one-page explanation of the project with the primary researchers signatures on Hunter College stationary in order to quickly and succinctly explain to curious observers what we are doing.

Paper Recording vs. Electronic Recording of Data:

Using paper data collection was much less efficient than using an electronic data collector. I found the paper to be cumbersome and using the Flip Camera as well as recording each address was annoying and has a large potential to lead to errors in data collection. Using the electronic device last year was much more streamlined and not only saved time but ensured that each photograph was tagged to the address, which decreases the chance of a mix up.

Types of Advertisements:

Making a distinction between large corporation advertising (such as Kool Cigarettes giving every bodega in NYC the same sticker/poster) and small business advertisements (such as the words "cold beer" on an awning) is very important. I think that there is a huge difference between the two that is not clearly shown in the current data collection method.

Canarsie Area

2008-07-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

I did the Canarsie area tonight; it was a very different experience than the Upper East Side. Most of the stores in the area were either laundromats, nail salons, or hair salons. There were also houses in between the many shopping stores.

I surveyed Flatlands Avenue from E79th Street through Remsen Avenue. Since most of the stores were one that I mentioned above there were few advertisements. However the stores that had advertisements were the usual cigarette ads, high fat meats or supermarket items. There were also a few liquor stores that were not really seen in the Upper East Side.

While I was taking the pictures and holding the papers, a passerby asked what survey I was doing. However I didn't actually have to get into it since the person just kept on walking. Other individuals walked around me so that they wouldn't disturb my picture. Again this was different than the Upper East Side where no one really cared what we were doing.

First two days

2008-07-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Yesterday and today were my first two days on the job. I can only say that it was very informative. Incredible to see the differences between Kingsbridge and Riverdale. Today, Yat and I surveyed a relatively commercial area of Riverdale and found more residential buildings then businesses. We were able to note several stores in a shopping center and businesses on the opposite street. Yat has the video and am sure will upload.

Kingsbridge

2008-07-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Street survey for Kingsbridge has been done. We went in the evening from 6:30 until almost 9pm, for a total of about 2 1/2 hrs. 28 videos have been uploaded to FLIKR and Kathy has many more photos, w/ more than one photo for many addresses. (Kathy brought her camera, and to maximize time, we used both cameras.) We did find some vitamins displayed in store windows and even one health food store, but again like East Harlem, quite a number of fast food/bodega type establishments. We did about 20 blocks of varying sizes, both sides of the street.

Only did the Upper East Side

2008-07-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

Heidi and I were only able to do the Upper East Side thus far. We haven't had a chance to do Brooklyn with the unpredictable weather and holiday week.

Reminder about Completion Dates

2008-07-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Today is July 10th, about one-third of the way through the month and we are fast approaching the end of the project.

I wanted to remind everyone that our goal is to get all the data collected and entered by end of July.

So please plan so that you can complete your survey of the neighborhoods and get all the data entered (photos loaded to Flickr and data sheets entered into Excel).

Thanks! ;-)

New Research Staff ~

2008-07-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

We've had a shift in research staff on the project. Sehrish had to leave in order to focus on the program she is involved in at Princeton, and Kathy Alexis will be joining us and working with Yat. Best of luck to Sehrish and welcome Kathy! ;-)

Street Survey Status Update

2008-07-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

Sehrish and I completed the street survey for East Harlem. As far as I know, Sehrish still has to transfer the data from her notebook to the coding sheets and also rename the videos on Flikr.

I don't mind starting the Bronx neighborhoods on my own; I've called the community boards and were told that Broadway and Riverdale were the most commercial streets.

Upper East Side

2008-06-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

Heidi and I went out on June 19th to the Upper East Side. We started at 72nd and worked our way up to 86th Street. We chose these blocks since this is where the majority of people shop and it is a very busy area. Heidi and I split up; we each did one side of the street until we reached our final destination.

Many of the stores and restaurants either do not have advertisements or do not have anything to do with healthy/unhealthy material. If a store had more than one ad it was difficult to decide what to use. Sometimes it was easy to get all the ads into one picture.

I used my own camera and Heidi used the flip video. I found it more useful to use my own camera since it was a still digital. It was also easier to upload the photos while when I used the flip it kept giving me errors.

I believe that it would be better to have the handheld devices rather than the paper version. Two reasons: 1. the paper is difficult to keep hold of especially if you are holding the camera and it is windy 2. It is difficult to write on the form while you are juggling all your other items. It seems that the handheld computer would be more efficient than the paper version.

East Harlem Report 6/22/08

2008-06-23T06:23:00.000-07:00

East Harlem Report

Sehrish and I did almost 11/2 mi in East Harlem on Sunday 6/22/08:
125th St. (3rd to Park Ave.) & 116th to 125th St. on both Lexington and Park Ave. We went from 10:15 am to 2:00 pm (I have called the community board to ask about the most commercial streets. I also emailed Adam Karpati but he was not able to help.) Only liquor stores were closed at that time but most stores were opened by then.

We taped 78 videos total with corresponding coding sheets. I will upload all the videos later today. We will need more blank coding sheets as I had to manually code about 50 addresses. Sehrish will be transferring over these notes onto the coding sheets, and rename the corresponding videos as I upload them on Flickr.

We were wondering if 1.5 miles would mean both sides of the street. We did do that so in essence we walked 3 mi. since we did one side first then crossover and backtrack to do the other side. It took us nearly 4 hours to complete the coding and videotaping. We also went inside some of the stores to ask for the addresses when the store numbers were not evident from the outside. Some storeowners/superintendents were suspicious of us and at one point we even had to show our IDs.

We used up nearly 25 min. of one camera (Sehrish forgot hers), and the battery was running out at the end of our walk. We would need new AA batteries.

I was thinking that since each address has one sheet but may have multiple ads, it may be of interest to note somewhere on the instrument the # of ads found for each address. The predominantly unhealthy ads in East Harlem were of cigarettes, alcohol, and fast foods, found mostly in deli/bodegas, and there were many, even on telephone booths. We came across a few grocery stores and one street vendor that sold fruits/vegetable items.

What I Expect to See on this Blog

2008-06-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

In emailing with Toby this morning, I realized that I've been less than clear about what I expect on this blog in terms of posts and comments. So first, let me apologize for not being completely clear. ;-) I've done project-related blogs before,so this seems rather second-nature to me, but I see that I haven't explained what I expect here fully.

The "comments" section on a blog is usually a place for timely responses to the original post that continue or clarify a debate about some topic. So, for example, in Heidi's post about the "most commercial street" - there was some back and forth about how to define that. That's the sort of thing that's completely suitable in the "comments" section.

In a project-related blog like this one, it's important that as there are "new events" on the project - like going into the field, like using the equipment, like testing the instrument - that there are new posts about those new events. What I'd like to see, and expect as each team gets into the field more, is that for each trip into the field there is a new post by at least one team member that gives a narrative of what that day in the field was like. Where'd you go? What time of day? Did you run into any trouble? What's worked? What didn't? What would make things easier? Do you have feedback on the instrument?

On a project-related blog like this one, I also expect to see more posts about "issues" or questions. Several people some of this kind of posting early on and it was helpful in terms of clarifying some issues. From my perspective, the most important issue on the project right now have to do with the instrument. When we met at the Grad Center, we discussed using the paper-and-pencil versions that you all have now for the week-one pilot and then possibly changing them. I haven't heard feedback from anyone on the instrument, so I don't know what needs to be changed.

I hope this clarifies - and I hope to read more here about what's going on in the field with all of you.

Update

2008-06-16T20:50:00.001-07:00

Yat and I will start surveying in East Harlem this upcoming Sunday.

I have been playing around with the camera and am fairly comfortable with using it as a video recorder. I believe Toby said something about it taking photos. Is that possible?
I have not recorded any advertisements as of yet, but I did do informal surveying (minus the video) on a street in East Harlem when I was in the city. As of right now, I do not have any questions regarding the assignment, but will keep everyone updated as Yat and I start working as a pair.

teams & scheduling

2008-06-16T14:09:00.001-07:00

hey folks, just wanted to make sure that everything was working out smoothly in terms of the teams i put together and scheduling time to go out and do the survey work together.

if you run into any problems, let me know and we can figure out how to best divide up the work.

Blocks vs. Addresses

2008-06-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering about the 15 blocks we're suppose to do for each neighborhood; since blocks are of varying sizes, should we designate a limit based on # of addresses rather than # blocks? It's conceivable that some blocks are longer than others with more stores to cover as well.

Results from Week One Pilot

2008-06-14T07:13:00.001-07:00

I know that people are busy with other things, but I want to remind everyone that we all agreed to take photos using the Flip cameras and post those in the Flickr account by now. So far, only Yat Ping has done this. I'd like to see everyone else's photos and read your feedback on the camera and the instrument by Monday, 6/16.

Uploading video on Flickr

2008-06-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

I successfully uploaded some videos. When doing this, the Flip video files are stored under "my documents"; (that is, after you have saved your videos from Flip camera to your PC.)

New Postings & comments

2008-06-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Just to remind everyone to check comments of previous posts. It may be better to make a new post than to add comments to an older post as it may not get read. Anyhow, I responded to some comments of older posts that I hope will get read. Maybe we should just add comments for the most current post, but make new posts for comments of previous posts? There are some blogs that shows the most recent comments added, which I don't think is a feature of this one.

The Neighborhoods

2008-06-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

If Sehrish is proposing that we change between the East Harlem and Upper East Side, I don't mind. This way we are keeping Manhattan separated but still doing an entire borough. I am more familiar with Brooklyn than I am with the Bronx so I propose we keep those in tact. I am also in Brooklyn on most Sundays.

Let me know what you think.

Determining "Most Commercial" Street

2008-06-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

I think that it would be beneficial if we all used the same reasoning to determine which street was busiest. How do people feel about inquiring with the community boards in our respective neighborhoods?

Project Description

2008-06-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood environments can both promote health and encourage disease. Differences in availability of health enhancing and health damaging messages and environments may account for differences in health among neighborhood with different socioeconomic and racial/ethnic characteristics. In this study (Phase II of a Pilot Study), we seek to develop a methodology for assessing health enhancing and health damaging features of selected neighborhoods. Our hypothesis is that health enhancing messages and environments are more prevalent in better off neighborhoods and health damaging ones more prevalent in poorer neighborhoods. We seek to test methods for describing these characteristics in a systematic way that employs digital media and explore ways that digital media might be useful in engaging neighborhood participation in charting messages about health.

Digital Technologies
This project will make use of a number of different digital technologies, including digital photography and digital video. We will also incorporate the use of digital photo and video-sharing technologies, such as Flickr. In addition, the project may use handheld computers equipped with a version of Excel and the project may eventually use GIS (or another program) to map the results of the street level survey.

Neighborhoods
We intend to expand the number of neighborhoods to include three (3) pairs of communities; each pair will include one low-SES neighborhood and one high-SES neighborhood. Observations will be conducted in consistent lengths of blocks (15) in each of the pair The neighborhoods covered will include: Central/East Harlem, S. Bronx, Central Brooklyn, Upper East Side, Riverdale, and Park Slope.

Goals
There are several goals for this project, including:
1) conduct and complete research in June that will lead to a publishable article in a peer-reviewed, public health journal;
2) develop a method that can be replicated and disseminated for measuring disease-promoting advertisements and healthy messages in urban neighborhoods;
3) explore the ways that digital technologies can be used to facilitate this research
4) to assess the advantages and disadvantages of these methods for both research and pedagogical purposes.

Links Added

2008-06-11T04:52:00.001-07:00

I added some links to a couple of other blogs I keep. The one off of my website, called "Thinking at the Interface," periodically includes posts about YouTube and other bits related to digital media. Folks involved in this project might be interested in looking back through the archive at some of those posts. I added a post there today about the Video Voice Collective, a really interesting project that you should all get to know more about.

And, the other one is Racism Review, a group blog that I maintain with Joe R. Feagin, my dissertation chair from the back in the day, and a former president of the American Sociological Association. Since neighborhoods in New York are so deeply racially segregated, I thought this might be a good resource for thinking about race in NYC. See especially this recent post.

Feel free to add other links to your own blogs, or other sites that will be relevant to our project.

Uploading videos on Flickr

2008-06-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

It seemed that we would need to get a upgrade on Flickr in order to upload videos: http://flickr.com/account/order/ It costs $24.95 for a one year pro account

When will we start working in pairs?

2008-06-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Do we know when we'll start pairing up and when we'll decide how we're splitting up the neighborhoods?

Photos uploaded on Flickr

2008-06-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi: I've uploaded some photos taken from the videos using our wonderful Flip video. I made them public but wasn't sure if I should limit to "friends"? I couldn't see where to upload the entire video however. Are we to take videos of addresses with no ads also? And each sheet is for one address only, but can have multiple ads, right?

Some of the addresses have menus posted on their windows, which wasn't a choice on our coding sheets. Will they be considered "ads"?

I found that some ads have such small print (like menus) that it is hard to get a good shot with the camera.

Also, not sure what "bus bench ads" are.

I'm glad we're doing this in pairs; it would be much more efficient to have one person taking video, the other coding. I was worried that someone may ask what I'm doing too, esp. when a guy (a clerk or guard) in the store was looking at me.

Feel Free to Modify This Blog

2008-06-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

I created this blog so that everyone on the project is an "author." That means that you can access the Dashboard view and modify the blog in various ways. For those of you who are adept at blogging, please go ahead and modify the blog. For instance, we could add a different banner image. Or, we could have photos from our Flickr account automatically appear in the right as an element. Feel free to add any of these.

Welcome to the Street Survey!

2008-06-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

It was great to meet new people and see old friends tonight. Thanks everyone for making it to the Grad Center for our meeting.