Inter-rater reliability of the ‘Tool for assessing determinants of health in public space’ in a co-creative urban design process with care home residents in Barcelona: a Health CASCADE study

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the Tool for assessing determinants of health in public space, a methodology developed to assess the potential health impact of public space improvement actions. The study involved a participatory evaluation conducted during an urban design co-creation process with older adults and researchers from various disciplines. Ten older adults from a care home in Barcelona and five researchers participated in the evaluation of five selected public spaces using the tool. An analysis using Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was conducted to assess inter-rater reliability. A descriptive comparison of the results was performed based on the scores given to each determinant. The findings provide insights into the tool’s reliability and its potential for capturing diverse perspectives. The Tool does not appear to have high reliability when implemented in a community setting. The ICC values for most of the determinants are relatively low, indicating poor or moderate levels of agreement among the raters/judges. The study highlights the importance of involving end-users and researchers in the evaluation process, emphasizing the need for user-centered design and co-creation in urban planning. The results contribute to improving public health outcomes and promoting age-friendly environments in urban spaces.