Stewart, Orion T.; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Littman, Alyson J.; Seto, Edmund; Saelens, Brian E. (2018). The Association between Park Facilities and Duration of Physical Activity During Active Park Visits. Journal Of Urban Health, 95(6), 869 – 880.
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Abstract
Public parks provide places for urban residents to obtain physical activity (PA), which is associated with numerous health benefits. Adding facilities to existing parks could be a cost-effective approach to increase the duration of PA that occurs during park visits. Using objectively measured PA and comprehensively measured park visit data among an urban community-dwelling sample of adults, we tested the association between the variety of park facilities that directly support PA and the duration of PA during park visits where any PA occurred. Cross-classified multilevel models were used to account for the clustering of park visits (n=1553) within individuals (n=372) and parks (n=233). Each additional different PA facility at a park was independently associated with a 6.8% longer duration of PA bouts that included light-intensity activity, and an 8.7% longer duration of moderate to vigorous PA time. Findings from this study are consistent with the hypothesis that more PA facilities increase the amount of PA that visitors obtain while already active at a park.
Keywords
Park Facilities; Physical Activity; Park Use; Recreation; Built Environment; Global Positioning System; Accelerometer; Gis; Gps; Accelerometer Data; United-states; Adults; Proximity; Features; Walking; Size; Attractiveness; Improvements; Environment; Parks & Recreation Areas; Parks; Luminous Intensity; Clustering; Urban Areas
Kang, Mingyu; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Kim, Haena; Boyle, Linda Ng. (2019). Intersections and Non-Intersections: A Protocol for Identifying Pedestrian Crash Risk Locations in GIS. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 16(19).
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Abstract
Intersection and non-intersection locations are commonly used as spatial units of analysis for modeling pedestrian crashes. While both location types have been previously studied, comparing results is difficult given the different data and methods used to identify crash-risk locations. In this study, a systematic and replicable protocol was developed in GIS (Geographic Information System) to create a consistent spatial unit of analysis for use in pedestrian crash modelling. Four publicly accessible datasets were used to identify unique intersection and non-intersection locations: Roadway intersection points, roadway lanes, legal speed limits, and pedestrian crash records. Two algorithms were developed and tested using five search radii (ranging from 20 to 100 m) to assess the protocol reliability. The algorithms, which were designed to identify crash-risk locations at intersection and non-intersection areas detected 87.2% of the pedestrian crash locations (r: 20 m). Agreement rates between algorithm results and the crash data were 94.1% for intersection and 98.0% for non-intersection locations, respectively. The buffer size of 20 m generally showed the highest performance in the analyses. The present protocol offered an efficient and reliable method to create spatial analysis units for pedestrian crash modeling. It provided researchers a cost-effective method to identify unique intersection and non-intersection locations. Additional search radii should be tested in future studies to refine the capture of crash-risk locations.
Keywords
Traffic Crash; Walking; Collisions; Accidents; Models; Pedestrian Safety; Spatial Autocorrelation; Algorithm
Wang, Kaiwen; Liu, Xiaomang; Tian, Wei; Li, Yanzhong; Liang, Kang; Liu, Changming; Li, Yuqi; Yang, Xiaohua. (2019). Pan Coefficient Sensitivity to Environment Variables across China. Journal Of Hydrology, 572, 582 – 591.
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Abstract
Data of open water evaporation (E-ow), such as evaporation of lake and reservoir, have been widely used in hydraulic and hydrological engineering projects, and water resources planning and management in agriculture, forestry and ecology. Because of the low-cost and maneuverability, measuring the evaporation of a pan has been widely regarded as a reliable approach to estimate E-ow through multiplying an appropriate pan coefficient (K-p). K-p is affected by geometry and materials of a pan, and complex surrounding environment variables. However, the relationship between K-p and different environment variables is unknown. Thus, this study chose China D20 pan as an example, used meteorological observations from 767 stations and introduced the latest PenPan model to analyze the sensitivity of K-p to different environment variables. The results show that, the distribution of annual K-p had a strong spatial gradient. For all the stations, annual K-p ranged from 0.31 to 0.89, and decreased gradually from southeast to northwest. The sensitivity analysis shows that for China as a whole, K-p was most sensitive to relative humidity, followed by air temperature, wind speed and sunshine duration. For 767 stations in China, K-p was most sensitive to relative humidity for almost all the stations. For stations north of Yellow River, wind speed and sunshine duration were the next sensitive variables; while for stations south of Yellow River, air temperature was the next sensitive variable. The method introduced in this study could benefit estimating and predicting K-p under future changing environment.
Keywords
Atmospheric Temperature; Hydraulic Engineering; Meteorological Observations; Humidity; Water Supply; Evaporation (meteorology); Sunshine; Lake Management; China; Kp Most Sensitive To Relative Humidity; Open Water Evaporation; Pan Coefficient (kp); Pan Evaporation; Sensitivity Analysis; Reference Evapotranspiration; Reference Crop; Evaporation; Water; Model; Pan Coefficient (k-p); K-p Most Sensitive To Relative Humidity; Air Temperature; Ecology; Forestry; Geometry; Hydrologic Engineering; Lakes; Maneuverability; Meteorological Data; Models; Planning; Prediction; Relative Humidity; Solar Radiation; Wind Speed; Yellow River
Le, Vi T.; Dannenberg, Andrew L. (2020). Moving Toward Physical Activity Targets by Walking to Transit: National Household Transportation Survey, 2001-2017. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine, 59(3), E115 – E123.
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Abstract
Introduction: Public transportation systems can help people engage in physical activity. This study assesses sociodemographic correlates and trends in the daily time spent walking to and from transit in the U.S. from 2001 to 2017. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2001, 2009, and 2017 National Household Transportation Survey. Data were analyzed in 2019 to assess the daily level of physical activity attained solely by walking to and from transit. Regression models were used to examine predictors of daily transit-associated walking. Results: Compared with the full National Household Transportation Survey sample, transit users who walked to and from transit tended to be younger, from households earning <$25,000 per year, in areas with rail infrastructure, and did not have a household-owned car. Transit walkers spent a median of 20 minutes per day (95% CI=18.5, 21.5) walking to and from transit in 2017, compared with a median of 19 minutes (95% CI=17.5, 20.5) in 2001. Among transit walkers, daily transitassociated physical activity was 27% higher for those residing in areas with rail infrastructure (adjusted coefficient=1.27, 95% CI=1.11, 1.46) and 34% higher for those from households earning $99,999 per year (adjusted coefficient=1.34, 95% CI=1.15, 1.56). Conclusions: As documented in a growing literature, most public transit trips include at least some walking; thus, efforts to encourage transit use are favorable to public health. Continued monitoring by transportation surveys is important as new forms of mobility and changing demographics may impact future transit use and associated physical activity. (C) 2020 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Physical Activity; Household Surveys; Public Transit; Cross-sectional Method; Public Health; Walking; Exercise; Research Funding; Transportation; Replacing Sedentary Time; Public-transit; Travel; Mortality; Adults; Health; Work
Dannenberg, Andrew L.; Rodriguez, Daniel A.; Sandt, Laura S. (2021). Advancing Research in Transportation and Public Health: A Selection of Twenty Project Ideas from a US Research Roadmap. Journal Of Transport & Health, 21.
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Abstract
Background: Transportation policies and projects have multiple impacts on health. Research on these impacts can help promote positive and reduce adverse health consequences of decisions made by transportation agencies. Methods: In 2019 the U.S. National Cooperative Highway Research Program published a research roadmap for transportation and public health based on an extensive literature search and key informant interviews. The roadmap identified 44 research gaps and 122 research needs on a wide range of relevant topics. From this list, using pre-established criteria including specificity, equity, potential impact, and long-term usefulness, we selected 20 topics suitable for further research especially in academic settings. Results: We present the questions, context, and possible research approach for each of the 20 topics. These topics cover issues ranging from integrating equity into performance measures and developing forecasting models for active travel to incorporating health questions into routine household travel surveys and examining health impacts of autonomous vehicles. We added questions on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on transportation. Discussion: This list will be useful to faculty, researchers, and students as they consider topics for research in transportation and public health. Results of research on these topics could influence transportation decisions in policy making, planning and community participation, capital programming, project design, and implementation. Future leaders of transportation agencies, transportation providers, and advocacy organizations may be more likely to consider transportation policies that incorporate a health perspective if their training includes research findings that increase their awareness of the health impacts of these policies.
Keywords
Public Health; Equity; Research; Public Transit; Metrics; Transportation Planning
Robinson, Jamaica R. M.; Phipps, Amanda, I; Barrington, Wendy E.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Sheppard, Lianne; Malen, Rachel C.; Newcomb, Polly A. (2021). Associations of Household Income with Health-Related Quality of Life Following a Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis Varies with Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 30(7), 1366 – 1374.
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Abstract
Background: Existing evidence indicates household income as a predictor of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following a colorectal cancer diagnosis. This association likely varies with neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), but evidence is limited. Methods: We included data from 1,355 colorectal cancer survivors participating in the population-based Puget Sound Colorectal Cancer Cohort (PSCCC). Survivors reported current annual household income; we measured HRQoL via the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Colorectal (FACT-C) tool. Using neighborhood data summarized within a 1-km radial buffer of Census block group centroids, we constructed a multidimensional nSES index measure. We employed survivors' geocoded residential addresses to append nSES score for Census block group of residence. With linear generalized estimating equations clustered on survivor location, we evaluated associations of household income with differences in FACT-C mean score, overall and stratified by nSES. We used separate models to explore relationships for wellbeing subscales. Results: We found lower household income to be associated with clinically meaningful differences in overall FACT-C scores [<$30K: -13.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): -16.8 to -10.4] and subscale wellbeing after a recent colorectal cancer diagnosis. Relationships were slightly greater in magnitude for survivors living in lower SES neighborhoods. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that recently diagnosed lower income colorectal cancer survivors are likely to report lower HRQoL, and modestly more so in lower SES neighborhoods. Impact: The findings from this work will aid future investigators' ability to further consider the contexts in which the income of survivors can be leveraged as a means of improving HRQoL
Keywords
Built Environment Factors; Functional Assessment; Fact-c; Population-density; Physical-activity; Survivors; Care; Disparities; Impact; Mortality
Rowe, Daniel H.; Bae, Christine; Shen, Qing. (2011). Evaluating the Impact of Transit Service on Parking Demand and Requirements. Transportation Research Record, 2245, 56 – 62.
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Abstract
Many jurisdictions in the United States typically set minimum parking requirements for residential multifamily developments based on old data that were collected in suburban settings with little transit availability. Such parking requirements applied to urban settings with adequate transit service often result in an oversupply of parking, which in turn creates a barrier to smart growth. Not only does the oversupply of parking encourage automobile use and reduce housing affordability, but it also increases development costs, consumes land and natural resources, and increases associated air and water pollution. This research examines the relationship of parking demand and transit service in First Hill Capitol Hill (FHCH) and Redmond, two urban centers in King County, Washington. An alternative method to collect parking demand data is explored. The results show a strong relationship between transit service and parking demand. The FHCH urban center, which abuts downtown Seattle, exhibited higher levels of transit service and lower parking demand. Parking demand in FHCH was observed to be 0.52 parking space per dwelling unit, which was about 50% less than parking demand observed in Redmond, a growing mixed-use suburban center, and 50% less than data reported by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. After a review of the parking policies of each urban center, opportunities to improve regulations including adjusting minimum parking requirements and allowing for reductions in required parking when developers implement solutions to reduce demand for parking were identified.
Armbruster, Ginger; Endicott-Popovsky, Barbara; Whittington, Jan. (2013). Threats to Municipal Information Systems Posed by Aging Infrastructure. International Journal Of Critical Infrastructure Protection, 6(3-4), 123 – 131.
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Abstract
State and local governments across the United States are leveraging the Internet and associated technologies to dramatically change the way they offer public services. While they are motivated to capture efficiencies, the public entities increasingly rely on information systems that are dependent on energy and related civil structures. This reliance is incongruous with the widespread awareness of aging infrastructure - decaying for lack of investment - in cities across the United States. Important questions that come up in this environment of persistent expansion of the use of digital assets are the following: What threat does aging infrastructure pose to governmental reliance on computing infrastructures? How are local governments responding to this threat? Are the solutions posed appropriate to the problem, or do they pose new and different threats? This paper uses a case involving the disruption of a local government data center due to the failure of an electrical bus to illustrate how the threats of aging infrastructure grow, quietly and steadily, into emergencies, on par with the catastrophic events encountered in the context of critical infrastructure protection. The decisions precipitating the disruption are routine, borne of circumstances shared by agencies that are pressed to maintain services with scarce resources. Patterns of capital investment and management explain the emergence of crises in routine operations. If, as in the case described in this paper, deferred maintenance motivates public agents to explore private cloud services, then governments may solve several problems, but may also be exposed to new risks as they enter into arrangements from which they are unable to exit. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Aging Infrastructure; Municipal Data Center; Capital Improvement; Interdependence
Drewnowski, Adam; Rehm, Colin D.; Moudon, Anne V.; Arterburn, David. (2014). The Geography of Diabetes by Census Tract in a Large Sample of Insured Adults in King County, Washington, 2005-2006. Preventing Chronic Disease, 11.
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Abstract
Introduction Identifying areas of high diabetes prevalence can have an impact on public health prevention and intervention programs. Local health practitioners and public health agencies lack small-area data on obesity and diabetes. Methods Clinical data from the Group Health Cooperative health care system were used to estimate diabetes prevalence among 59,767 adults by census tract. Area-based measures of socioeconomic status and the Modified Retail Food Environment Index were obtained at the census-tract level in King County, Washington. Spatial analyses and regression models were used to assess the relationship between census tract level diabetes and area-based socioeconomic status and food environment variables. The mediating effect of obesity on the geographic distribution of diabetes was also examined. Results In this population of insured adults, diabetes was concentrated in south and southeast King County, with smoothed diabetes prevalence ranging from 6.9% to 21.2%. In spatial regression models, home value and college education were more strongly associated with diabetes than was household income. For each 50% increase in median home value, diabetes prevalence was 1.2 percentage points lower. The Modified Retail Food Environment Index was not related to diabetes at the census-tract level. The observed associations between area-based socioeconomic status and diabetes were largely mediated by obesity (home value, 58%; education, 47%). Conclusion The observed geographic disparities in diabetes among insured adults by census tract point to the importance of area socioeconomic status. Small-area studies can help health professionals design community-based programs for diabetes prevention and control.
Keywords
Prevalence; Obesity; Us; Disease
Cohen-Cline, Hannah; Lau, Richard; Moudon, Anne V.; Turkheimer, Eric; Duncan, Glen E. (2015). Associations between Fast-Food Consumption and Body Mass Index: A Cross-sectional Study in Adult Twins. Twin Research & Human Genetics, 18(4), 375 – 382.
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Abstract
Obesity is a substantial health problem in the United States, and is associated with many chronic diseases. Previous studies have linked poor dietary habits to obesity. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the association between body mass index (BMI) and fast-food consumption among 669 same-sex adult twin pairs residing in the Puget Sound region around Seattle, Washington. We calculated twin-pair correlations for BMI and fast-food consumption. We next regressed BMI on fast-food consumption using generalized estimating equations (GEE), and finally estimated the within-pair difference in BMI associated with a difference in fast-food consumption, which controls for all potential genetic and environment characteristics shared between twins within a pair. Twin-pair correlations for fast-food consumption were similar for identical (monozygotic; MZ) and fraternal (dizygotic; DZ) twins, but were substantially higher in MZ than DZ twins for BMI. In the unadjusted GEE model, greater fast-food consumption was associated with larger BMI. For twin pairs overall, and for MZ twins, there was no association between within-pair differences in fast-food consumption and BMI in any model. In contrast, there was a significant association between within-pair differences in fast-food consumption and BMI among DZ twins, suggesting that genetic factors play a role in the observed association. Thus, although variance in fast-food consumption itself is largely driven by environmental factors, the overall association between this specific eating behavior and BMI is largely due to genetic factors.
Keywords
Diseases In Twins; Obesity; Adults; Diseases; Food Habits; Food Consumption; Body Mass Index; Cross-sectional Method; United States; Fast-food Consumption; Generalized Estimating Equations; Twin Studies; Fto Gene Variants; Physical-activity; Dietary-intake; Weight Status; Environment Interaction; Human Obesity; Young-adults; Zygosity; Patterns; Exercise