Evaluating industry awareness and use of Healthy Active by Design online resources

The Healthy Active by Design online resource, a comprehensive tool aimed at promoting health-supportive environments, underwent a focused evaluation from July to October 2024. This work was undertaken by a Master of Public Health student, Katherine Buttigieg (bio below) for the Heart Foundation.

The primary goal was to evaluate the ongoing use of the resource, taking a multi-level approach through a variety of research methods and across different user groups.

The evaluation helps demonstrate the value of the resource, emphasising the importance of future funding to ensure continued growth and impact. It also identifies areas for future improvement. The evaluation will enable continued support to industry practitioners and local governments in designing and delivering more walkable, liveable built environments and local neighbourhoods. 

Methods of Evaluation

The evaluation of industry use of Healthy Active by Design involved a multifaceted approach to ensure thorough analysis of its reach and utility. One of the key methods included reaching out to local councils via email. A tailored survey was sent to local councils across Australia, inviting them to share their experiences with Healthy Active by Design and provide insights into its applicability within their workplace. This direct engagement was crucial in understanding how public institutions utilise the resource in their urban planning and community health efforts.

In addition to local councils, private urban planning consultancies, research institutions and universities were identified as important stakeholders. The survey was sent to professionals in these areas, targeting academics, planners, and researchers who might use the Healthy Active by Design resources in their work. This approach allowed us to tap into a wide range of users, gathering diverse feedback from different stakeholders involved in urban planning, public health, and healthy design principles.

Leveraging Online Tools

Alongside survey outreach, online tools were employed to further explore the reach of Healthy Active by Design. Online searches using Google Scholar helped identify academic articles, books, and reports that referenced Healthy Active by Design, showcasing the resource’s relevance at a scholarly level. This method revealed how the website was being cited in research related to public health, urban planning, and design.

Another important component of the evaluation was monitoring website data analytics. These analytics provided valuable insights into where Healthy Active by Design was being accessed and linked to from external websites. By analysing data trends during the project’s course, we could track the impact of email outreach campaigns and measure how they influenced website traffic. For example, there was a noticeable spike in website visits following the distribution of surveys, demonstrating the positive relationship between outreach and promotion efforts and user engagement with the resource.

Survey Results: Positive Feedback and Global Reach

The feedback from the survey results was overwhelmingly positive. Users from diverse backgrounds shared their appreciation for the resource, emphasising its value in their work. One academic, a teacher and researcher specialising in healthy built environments, commented:

"I LOVE the website and promote it to my students in classes and practitioners that I teach in short courses. I highly recommend HAbD given its inclusion of key issues to create a health supportive environment, case studies, research evidence, etc! An amazing collection of resources!"

Furthermore, the World Health Organisation's report (2023), Promoting physical activity for older people: a toolkit for action, referenced the Healthy Active by Design website, further validating its role in fostering environments that promote health and physical activity on a global scale. The inclusion of Healthy Active by Design in global health-focused documents like this underscores its value as an evidence-based resource.

Another long-time practitioner stated:

"Aware of the principles of healthy active design and have been applying them in design projects for greater than 20 years."

Public health professionals also praised Healthy Active by Design as a vital tool for the next generation of health promotion experts. One user highlighted:

"A great example of evidence-informed decision making and great resources to teach the next generation of public health and health promotion professionals."

In addition to positive comments, the evaluation uncovered Healthy Active by Design’s international reach. Website analytics showed that users from countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Sweden, the Netherlands, Trinidad, Brazil, Ireland, New Zealand, Ecuador, Malaysia, Germany, and China were actively engaging with the resource. This global footprint demonstrates that the Healthy Active by Design principles resonate far beyond its initial target audience.

The evaluation of the Healthy Active by Design online resource revealed its significant impact on both local and international scales. The combination of targeted outreach through surveys and online analytical tools provide a clear picture of its utility across various sectors. The positive feedback from users, combined with evidence of Healthy Active by Design’s global reach, underscores the resource’s effectiveness in promoting health-supportive environments. Moving forward, these insights will guide further refinement and expansion of the Healthy Active by Design platform, ensuring it remains a valuable tool for urban planners, academics, and public health professionals worldwide.

You can read the full report here.

Bio - Katherine Buttigieg

Hi! I’m Katherine, a student at the Australian National University (ANU) currently studying a Master of Public Health, with a previous undergraduate background in nutrition and physiology. I am deeply passionate about empowering individuals to improve their physical and mental health by fostering lifestyle behavior changes, particularly through active living and healthy eating. This could be at a public health level through program initiatives or simply giving advice to family and friends! When I’m not studying or at work, I’ll be at the gym, playing with my dog or travelling overseas with my partner :).