Reliability and Validity of a New Building Environmental Quality Questionnaire

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and then test the reliability and validity of a new self-report questionnaire method called the building environmental quality questionnaire (BEQQ) designed to assess the perceived environmental quality in residential apartments in Hong Kong. A total of 108 (46 men and 62 women) Chinese-speaking residents, between 16 and 81 years of age, took part and completed the questionnaire study. The subjects were recruited from 12 different buildings of three distinct quality ratings (low, medium and high) assigned by the building assessment tool called the building health and hygiene index (BHHI). The study was evaluated to determine reliability and this was assessed involving 20 of the participants (18% of the total sample size). The BEQQ was found to have good test-retest reliability, with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values typically around 0.70. The validity testing, also using ICCs, generated moderate to high values for all BEQQ sub-categories (the mean value was around 0.80), indicating a good consistency among residents living within the same building. Finally, the summary BEQQ scores were significantly correlated (—0.68) with the BHHI ratings as the criterion standard. It is concluded that this eight-dimension instrument would provide a short and efficient questionnaire method to obtain self-reported information to determine the perceived residential building quality. The method was shown to yield adequate reliability and has been validated for use in empirical research.

Keywords

Building environmental quality questionnaire Building health hygiene index Perceived environmental quality Validation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Srinivasan S. , O’Fallon LR , Dearry A. : Creating healthy communities, healthy homes, healthy people: initiating a research agenda on the built environment and public health: Am J Public Health 2003;93:1446-1450.

Rousseau D. , Wasley J. : Healthy by Design: Building and Remodeling Solutions for Creating Healthy Homes. Point Roberts, WA, Wash, Hartley & Marks, 1997.

O’Reilly JT : Keeping Buildings Healthy: How to Monitor and Prevent Indoor Environmental Problems. New York, John Wiley, 1998.

Ho DCW , Leung HF , Wong SK , Cheung AKC , Lau SSY , Wong WS , Lung DPY , Chau KW : Assessing the health and hygiene performance of apartment buildings: Facilities 2004;22:58-69.

Menzies D. , Bourbeau J. : Building-related illnesses: N Engl J Med 1997 ;337:1524-1531.

Raw G. : A questionnaire for studies of sick building syndrome. A report to The Royal Society of Health Advisory Group on sick building syndrome: in Raw GJ (ed) Building Research Establishment Report (1). London, Construction Research Communications Ltd, 1995, pp. 1-9.

Singh J. , Yu CWF , Kim JT : Building pathology, investigation of sick buildings - toxic moulds : Indoor Built Environ 2010;19:40-47.

Yu CWF , Kim JT : Building pathology, investigation of sick buildings - VOC emissions: Indoor Built Environ 2010;19:30-39.

Wong SK , Lai LWC , Ho DCW , Chau KW , Lam CLK , Ng HF : Sick building syndrome and perceived indoor environmental quality: a survey of apartment buildings in Hong Kong: Habitat Int 2009;33:463-471.

10.

Evans J. , Hyndman S. , Stewart-Brown S. , Smith D. , Petersen S. : An epidemiological study of the relative importance of damp housing in relation to adult health: J Epidemiol Community Health 2000;54: 677-686.

11.

Rauh VA , Chew GR , Garfinkel RS : Deteriorated housing contributes to high cockroach allergen levels in inner-city households: Environ Health Perspect 2002; 110(Suppl 2):323-327.

12.

Hyndman SJ : Housing dampness and health amongst British Bengalis in east London : Soc Sci Med 1990;30:131-141.

13.

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). Building Research Establishment . Available at: http://www.breeam.org (accessed January 12, 2009)

14.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). U.S. Green Building Council. Available at: http://www.usgbc.org (accessed January 12, 2009).

15.

HK-BEAM: Hong Kong Building Environment Assessment Method (Existing Buildings) . Kowloon, Hong Kong, HK-Beam Society , 2004.

16.

Ho DCW , Chau KW , Cheung AKC , Yau Y. , Wong SK , Leung HF , Lau SSY , Wong WS : A survey of the health and safety conditions of apartment buildings in Hong Kong: Build Environ 2008;43:764-775.

17.

Engvall K. , Norrby C. , Sandstedt E. : The Stockholm Indoor Environment Questionnaire: a sociologically based tool for the assessment of indoor environment and health in dwellings : Indoor Air 2004;14:24-33.

18.

Centamap. Available at: http://www.centamap.com (accessed January 11, 2009)

19.

Saelens BE , Frank LD , Auffrey C. , Whitaker RC , Burdette HL , Colabianchi N. : Measuring physical environments of parks and playgrounds: EAPRS instrument development and inter-rater reliability: J Phys Act Health 2006; 3(Suppl. 1):S190-S207.

20.

Frank LD , Sallis JF , Conway TL , Chapman JE , Saelens BE , Bachman W. : Many pathways from land use to health: J Am Plann Assoc 2006;72:75-87.

21.

Saelens BE , Sallis JF , Black JB , Chen D. : Neighborhood-based differences in physical activity: an environment scale evaluation: Am J Public Health 2003;93:1552-1558.

22.

Spence JC , Cutumisu N. , Edwards J. , Evans J. : Influence of neighbourhood design and access to facilities on overweight among preschool children: Int J Pediatr Obes 2008 ;3:109-116.