Redesign, Field-Testing, and Validation of the Physical Activity Campus Environmental Supports (PACES) Audit

Table 1

PACES audit questions.

Categories	Questions	Scoring
	PACES-Programs
Population	Subpopulations with access to recreation facilities and programs: (i) Students, employees, employee’s families, community, and alumni	Select all that apply
Fees	Additional fees for recreation services and programs [13]: (i) Fees for fitness classes, fitness center, intramurals, and sports clubs; (ii) Note: recreation fees integrated in the student tuition do not classify as an additional fee; (iii) Employees and students are assessed separately	Select all that apply
Facilities ()	When was the most recent recreation facility built? [42]; (i) Answers: >15 years, 11–15 years, 6–10 years, 1–5 years, and new facility	Question specific
	How far is the closest walking/biking trail from the geographic center of campus? [34, 41] (use Google Maps to determine distance); (i) Length of trail must be at least ½ mile in length; Can be circuit or non-continuous; Does not have to be scenic or attractive; Trail can be through campus or city as long as it is a marked trail; (ii) Answers: no trail, > 1 mile from center, 2/3–1 mile, 1/3–2/3 mile, and < .3 mile	Question specific
	Indoor/outdoor facilities available for all student/faculty not just athletes [9, 24]; (i) All-purpose (lacrosse, soccer, etc.), baseball/softball, basketball, football, tennis, track, skating rink, volleyball, pool, and other	Select all that apply
	Adequacy of indoor/outdoor facilities based on availability, condition, size, and sufficiency for the campus population [16]	SD to SA^1
Programs ()	How many health/wellness activities and events are offered for Tuesday and Wednesday (a representative sample)? [24, 32, 40]; (i) Evaluator should count the amount of health-related offerings (events, lectures, guest speakers, workshops, outings, free fitness classes, and group sports) on entire campus for each day	1-2 up to > 10^2
	How many different varieties of fitness classes are available? [24, 32]; (i) Do NOT combine classes offered in the spring and fall. Assess classes available for one-semester, preferably in the current semester. If your campus does not operate by semesters, evaluate classes available over the prior 4 months	1-5 varieties up to > 25^2
	Intramurals and club sports [18, 24]; (i) Select all choices that apply: Variety of subgroups within sports (i.e. men, women, Greek, recreational, competitive, faculty), variety of sports offered, ability for groups to create teams, ability to waitlist if all team slots are filled, ability to create/add teams to meet demand during the season; Adequacy of intramural and club sports [16]; (ii) Adequacy should be based upon the amount of choices above selected	Select all that apply^2 & SD to SA^1,2
	How are recreation programs reserved? [33]; (i) Programs can include but not limited to fitness classes, personal training, club sports, intramurals, excursions, etc.; (ii) Answers: first come first serve, paper-based, computerized, and call-based reservation	Select all that apply
Proximity	How many residence halls are within 2/3 miles of the geographic campus center? [38] (use Google Maps to determine the distance); (i) Answers: none, 1, 2, 3, and >3 residence halls	Question specific^2
Marketing	How frequently is social media updated to promote recreation facilities and programs? [30]; (i) Answers: no social media exists, sporadic, 1 update daily, 2 updates daily, >2 updates daily	Question specific
	PACES-Facilities
Built environment ()	When was the recreation facility built? [42]; (i) Answers: >15 years, 11–15 years, 6–10 years, 1–5 years, and new facility	Question specific
	Recreation facility aesthetics and building context [31]; (i) Answers include windows providing an outdoor view are present in the recreation area, building is free-standing, separated from other buildings in the proximity, closest building should be at least 200 feet away, and attractive view from inside facility	Select all that apply
	Bike racks: availability [24, 37]; (i) Note: all possible entrances to facility must be evaluated; (ii) Answers: no racks, rack by 1, 2, 3, and ≥4 entrances.	Question specific
	Bike racks: adequacy [16]; (i) Answers: 0–20%, 21–40%, 41–60%, 51–80%, and 81–100% spots available	Question specific^2
	Stair features [24, 29]; (i) Answers: centrally located, safety features, aesthetically pleasing, signage, and accessible; Definitions: (a) Centrally located. Stairs being visible from the front entrance of building; (b) Accessible. Unlocked stairs and stair width sufficient for 2 people; (c) Aesthetically pleasing. Creative lighting, decorative, carpeted, bright colored walls, artwork, motivational signs, and music; (d) Safety. Well lit, rubber treading on steps (slip resistant), and hand rail fully extended length of stairs; (e) Signage. Signage to steps, absence of emergency exit ONLY label/sign, and numbered floors in stairwell; (f) Stairs should be assessed for the primary recreational facility and secondary recreational facility and any components of a recreational facility	Select all that apply^2
	Universal design features [39]; Answers: (1) Exercise equipment is available that does not require transfer from wheelchair to machine; (2) Pool lift controls accessible from the deck level for individuals that use a wheelchair. The pool has a ledge to hold on to when entering the water; (3) Is a customer’s personal assistant allowed to enter the facility without incurring additional charges?	Select all that apply
Equipment ()	Aerobic equipment: available equipment types [24, 28]; (i) Answers: treadmill, bike, air rower (rowing machine), stair stepper, cycle ergometer, and other (list)	Select all that apply^2
	Aerobic equipment: accessibility [24]; (i) Answers: 0–19%, 20–39%, 40–59%, 60–79%, and 80–100% spots available	Question specific^2
	Strength training equipment: available equipment types [24, 35]; (i) Answers: Resistance machines, free weights, barbells, at least 100 square ft. of open space, and raised platforms	Select all that apply^2
	Equipment scheduling [33]; (i) Reservation for recreation equipment should be found within recreational facility or online; (ii) Recreation equipment can include but not limited to cardiovascular machines, multipurpose rooms, resistance equipment, etc.
Staff ()	Staff competency [17, 24]; (i) Note: inform the staff member that you are conducting an audit; ask him/her to show you around and to tell you where all of the equipment is located (i.e., aerobic and strength training equipment); assess if the staff member provided assistance in a professional manner, made eye contact, and was able to provide guidance in regards to the function and use of the equipment; (ii) Answers: staff not able to assist, staff willing to assist but could not provide accurate guidance, and staff was willing to assist and provided accurate guidance; Staff accessibility [10, 16]; (i) Answers: no staff present, staff present but unavailable or busy with other customers, and staff present and available	Question specific
Amenities ()	Drinking fountains [16, 24]; (i) Answers: no drinking fountains, drinking fountains, and refillable bottle stations available	Question specific
	Amenities [16]; (i) Answers: locker rooms, lockers outside locker room, showers, hand towels, televisions, reading material, hand sanitizer, music, disinfectant spray, and other (list)	Select all that apply
	Cleanliness [17, 24]; (i) The following areas (if available) are clean (no trash present): restrooms, weight room, locker room, activity courts (all purpose), indoor track, racquetball courts, entrance/hallways, Pool(s), and outside recreation facility	SD to SA^1
	Is an initial fitness assessment offered? [1, 24]; (i) Answers: no fitness assessment, additional charge for fitness assessment, fitness assessment is mandatory, fitness assessment at no charge, fitness assessment provided with workout plan/recommendation	Select all that apply
Access	Number of hours facility is open [24, 36]; (i) Hours of operation are assessed for Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday	0 to 24 hours

Responses required: ¹Likert scale defined: strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree; ²not applicable and does not apply to our environment.