Evaluating Nighttime Observational Measures of Neighborhood Disorder: Validity of the Nighttime Nifety Assessment

While there are a growing number of observational instruments to assess the built and social dimensions of the neighborhood environment, there are few reliable and validated instruments. Further, there are no systematic observational tools that assess the neighborhood environment during nighttime hours, a potential peak period of health and safety risk. The purpose of this investigation is to establish the metric properties of Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy) Instrument nighttime ratings. Reliability of the scale was measured by internal consistency reliability and test re-test correlation. The nighttime items had good internal consistency (α=.81-82) for the total scale and acceptable internal consistency for a seven-item nighttime disorder scale (α=.66-.71). Test re-test reliability was assessed using a longitudinal measurement invariance model, which constrained the factor loadings and indicator thresholds across two waves of data collection. The constrained model had good fit indices and there was not a significant difference between the fit of the unconstrained model and the constrained model (nested model) demonstrating test-retest reliability at the latent construct level. Validity was evaluated through correlation with the daytime NIfETy rating and regression models with local violent crime data. Negative binominal regressions found a statistically significant relationship between nighttime disorder and violent crime, namely for each unit increase in the nighttime disorder score the rate of violent crime within 500 feet of the block increased by 42% (IRR=1.42, CI:1.31,1.55; p< 0.001). Future investigations will examine the nighttime NIfETy and its association with specific risk behaviors and to evaluate changes in neighborhood environment.