ITS Berkeley

Predicting Urban Design Effects on Physical Activity and Public Health: A Case Study

Gibson, JMD
Rodriguez, D
Dennerlein, T
Mead, J
Hasch, T
Meacci, G
Levin, S
2015

With increasing global concerns about obesity and related health effects, tools to predict how urban form affects population physical activity and health are needed. However, such tools have not been well established. This article develops a computer simulation model for forecasting the health effects of urban features that promote walking. The article demonstrates the model using a proposed small-area plan for a neighborhood of 10,400 residents in Raleigh, North Carolina, one of the fastest-growing and most sprawling U.S. cities. The simulation model predicts that the plan would...

Objective Correlates and Determinants of Bicycle Commuting Propensity in an Urban Environment

Cole-Hunter, T
Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Curto, A
Ambros, A
Valentín, A
Garcia-Aymerich, J
Martinez, D
Braun, L
Mendez, M
Jerrett, M
Rodriguez, D
Nazelle, A De
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2015
Bicycle use for commuting is being encouraged not only to address physical inactivity, but also vehicular congestion, air pollution and climate change. The current study aimed to ascertain the urban environmental correlates and determinants of bicycle use for commuting (bicycle commuting) among the working or studying population in Barcelona, Spain. Adults (n = 769; 52% females) recruited whilst commuting within Barcelona (Spain) responded to a comprehensive telephone survey concerning their travel behaviour. Based upon...

The Added Benefit of Bicycle Commuting on the Regular Amount of Physical Activity Performed

Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Nazelle, A De
Cole-Hunter, T
Curto, A
Rodriguez, D
Mendez, M
Garcia-Aymerich, J
Basagana, X
Ambros, A
Jerrett, M
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2015
Physical inactivity(link is external) is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Active transportation such as bicycling may increase physical activity levels(link is external). It is currently...

Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescent Girls' Activity Patterns: Understanding the Influence of the Transition to Licensure

McDonald, NC
Merlin, L
Hu, H
Shih, J
Cohen, D
Evenson, K
McKenzie, T
Rodriguez, D
2017

The proportion of teens and young adults with driver's licenses has declined sharply in many industrialized countries including the United States. Explanations for this decline have ranged from the introduction of graduated driver licensing programs to the increase in online social interaction. We used a longitudinal cohort study of teenage girls in San Diego and Minneapolis to evaluate factors associated with licensure and whether teens' travel patterns become more independent as they aged. We found that licensure depended not only on age, but on race and ethnicity as well as...

Community-Based Pedestrian Safety Training in Virtual Reality: A Pragmatic Trial

Schwebel, DC
Combs, T
Rodriguez, D
Severson, J
Sisiopiku, V
2016

Child pedestrian injuries are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity across the United States and the world. Repeated practice at the cognitive-perceptual task of crossing a street may lead to safer pedestrian behavior. Virtual reality offers a unique opportunity for repeated practice without the risk of actual injury. This study conducted a pre-post within-subjects trial of training children in pedestrian safety using a semi-mobile, semi-immersive virtual pedestrian environment placed at schools and community centers. Pedestrian safety skills among a group of 44 seven- and eight...

The Active Living Research 2015 Conference: The Science of Policy Implementation

Rodriguez, D
Lounsbery, MAF
Sallis, J
2016

The 2015 Active Living Research (ALR) Conference highlighted the theme of policy implementation because many policies are recommended to enhance active living, and policy adoption is becoming more common, but policies cannot be effective until they are implemented. A better understanding of active living policy implementation will assist researchers and practitioners in improving their policy recommendations and implementation practice.

Obtaining Longitudinal Built Environment Data Retrospectively Across 25 years in Four US Cities

Hirsch, J
Meyer, K
Peterson, M
Rodriguez, D
Song, Y
Peng, K
Huh, J
Gordon-Larsen, P
2016

Neighborhood transportation infrastructure and public recreational facilities are theorized to improve the activity, weight, and cardiometabolic profiles of individuals living in close proximity to these resources. However, owing to data limitations, there has not been adequate study of the influence of timing and placement of new infrastructure on health over time. Methods: This protocol details methods of the four cities study to perform retrospective field audits in order to capitalize on existing longitudinal health data from the coronary artery risk development in young adults (CARDIA...

Walkability and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Braun, L
Rodriguez, D
Evenson, K
Hirsch, J
Moore, K
Roux, AV Diez
2016
We used data from 3227 older adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (2004–2012) to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between walkability and cardiometabolic risk factors. In cross-sectional analyses, linear regression was used to estimate associations of Street Smart Walk Score® with glucose, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and waist circumference, while logistic regression was used to estimate associations with odds of metabolic syndrome. Econometric fixed effects models were used to estimate longitudinal...

The Built Environment and Walking Behavior: Addressing Residential Sorting through Matching in the Cardia Study

Braun, L
Rodriguez, D
Song, Y
Meyer, K
Lewis, C
Gordon-Larsen, P
2016
Recent research has shown neighborhood walkability to be positively associated with walking behavior. However, accounting for selective migration and socio-spatial segregation is an ongoing challenge. These forms of residential sorting may result in individuals who are not comparable across levels of neighborhood walkability and may therefore lead to biased inferences about the built environment. We explored the implications of residential sorting using coarsened exact matching (CEM), a method that compares individuals who have similar characteristics but are exposed to different “treatments...

Short-Term Planning and Policy Interventions to Promote Cycling in Urban Centers: Findings from a Commute Mode Choice Analysis in Barcelona, Spain

Braun, L
Rodriguez, D
Cole-Hunter, T
Ambros, A
Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Jerrett, M
Mendez, M
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
Nazelle, A De
2026
Cycling for transportation has become an increasingly important component of strategies to address public health, climate change, and air quality concerns in urban centers. Within this context, planners and policy makers would benefit from an improved understanding of available interventions and their relative effectiveness for cycling promotion. We examined predictors of bicycle commuting that are relevant to planning and policy intervention, particularly those amenable to short- and medium-term action. We estimated a travel mode choice model using data from a...