Pedestrians

Change in Walking and Body Mass Index Following Residential Relocation: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Hirsch, JA
Roux, AV Diez
Moore, KA
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
2014

We investigated whether moving to neighborhoods with closer proximity of destinations and greater street connectivity was associated with more walking, a greater probability of meeting the “Every Body Walk!” campaign goals (≥ 150 minutes/week of walking), and reductions in body mass index (BMI). We linked longitudinal data from 701 participants, who moved between 2 waves of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (2004–2012), to a neighborhood walkability measure (Street Smart Walk Score) for each residential location. We used fixed-effects models to estimate if changes in walkability...

Changes in the Built Environment and Changes in the Amount of Walking Over Time: Longitudinal Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Hirsch, JA
Moore, KA
Clarke, PJ
Rodriguez, DA
Evenson, KR
Brines, SJ
Zagorski, MA
Roux, AV Diez
2014

Lack of longitudinal research hinders causal inference on the association between the built environment and walking. In the present study, we used data from 6,027 adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis who were 45–84 years of age at baseline to investigate the association of neighborhood built environment with trends in the amount of walking between 2000 and 2012. Walking for transportation and walking for leisure were assessed at baseline and at 3 follow-up visits (median follow-up = 9.15 years). Time-varying built environment measures (measures of population density,...

The Influence of Residential Dissonance on Physical Activity and Walking: Evidence from the Montgomery County, MD, and Twin Cities, MN, Areas

Cho, GH
Rodriguez, D
2014

This study investigates to what extent a mismatch between residential preferences and actual residential locations is associated with residents’ physical activity and walking. The residents of Montgomery County, MD, and Twin Cities, MN, were classified into four residential subgroups, and their walking and physical activity outcomes were compared. The results showed that, for transport activity and walking outcomes, participants living in a urban location and preferring a urban environment were more likely to be active than those who lived in a suburban location and preferred a...

Influence of the Built Environment on Pedestrian Route Choices of Adolescent Girls

Rodriguez, DA
Merlin, L
Prato
Conway
Cohen, D
Elder, JP
Evenson, K
McKenzie, T
Pickrel, J
2014

We examined the influence of the built environment on pedestrian route selection among adolescent girls. Portable global positioning system units, accelerometers, and travel diaries were used to identify the origin, destination, and walking routes of girls in San Diego, California, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. We completed an inventory of the built environment on every street segment to measure the characteristics of routes taken and not taken. Route-level variables covering four key conceptual built environment domains (Aesthetics, Destinations, Functionality, and Safety) were used...

Modeling Spatial Segregation and Travel Cost Influences on Utilitarian Walking: Towards Policy Intervention

Yang, Y
Auchincloss, AH
Rodriguez, DA
Brown, DG
Riolo, R
Roux, A
2015

We develop an agent-based model of utilitarian walking and use the model to explore spatial and socio-economic factors affecting adult utilitarian walking and how travel costs as well as various educational interventions aimed at changing attitudes can alter the prevalence of walking and income differentials in walking. The model is validated against US national data. We contrast realistic and extreme parameter values in our model and test effects of changing these parameters across various segregation and pricing scenarios while allowing for interactions between travel choice and...

Location or Design? Associations Between Neighbourhood Location, Built Environment and Walking

Cho, GH
Rodriguez, D
2014

In examining the association between environmental exposures and walking, conducting research on a neighbourhood scale has been the dominant approach whereas the association of the regional-scale environment with behaviours has rarely been explored. Because regional location and neighbourhood built environment attributes are likely to be correlated, the findings in neighbourhood-scale studies may be biased. In contrast to existing literature, this study is based on the assumption that a neighbourhood’s location may be associated with walking or physical activity and that this...

Neighborhood Design, Neighborhood Location, and Three Types of Walking: Results from the Washington DC Area

Cho, GH
Rodriguez, DA
2015

Understanding how the built environment at a neighborhood scale is associated with individuals' walking has been a common research objective in public health and city planning. In contrast to the extant literature, we examine whether a neighborhood's location defined at a regional scale is associated with walking and whether this association is separately identifiable from the association of the neighborhood built environment and walking. The findings indicated that walking for commuting purposes was associated more strongly with neighborhood location than with the neighborhood built...

A42 Transportation, Air Pollution and Physical ActivitieS (TAPAS): A Comprehensive Research Programme on Active Travel

Nazelle, A De
Rojas-Rueda, D
Jerrett, M
Rodriguez, D
Cole-Hunter, T
Donaire, D
Andersen, Z
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2015
Encouraging walking and cycling as means of transportation may have diverse benefits, such as reduced pollutant emissions and increased physical activity in the population. At the same time, individuals who shift to active travel modes may also experience increased risks of traffic...

Spatiotemporal Approaches to Analyzing Pedestrian Fatalities: The Case of Cali, Colombia

Fox, L
Serre, M
Lippmann, S
Rodriguez, D
Bangdiwala, S
Gutierrez, M
Escobar, G
Villaveces, A
2015

Injuries among pedestrians are a major public health concern in Colombian cities such as Cali. This is one of the first studies in Latin America to apply Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) methods to visualize and produce fine-scale, highly accurate estimates of citywide pedestrian fatalities. The purpose of this study is to determine the BME method that best estimates pedestrian mortality rates and reduces statistical noise. We further utilized BME methods to identify and differentiate spatial patterns and persistent versus transient pedestrian mortality hotspots. Methods: In this multiyear...

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...