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The Built Environment and Utilitarian Walking in Small U.S. Towns

Doescher, Mark P.; Lee, Chanam; Berke, Ethan M.; Adachi-mejia, Anna M.; Lee, Chun-kuen; Stewart, Orion; Patterson, Davis G.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Carlos, Heather A.; Duncan, Glen E.; Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2014). The Built Environment and Utilitarian Walking in Small U.S. Towns. Preventive Medicine, 69, 80 – 86.

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Abstract

Objectives. The role of the built environment on walking in rural United States (U.S.) locations is not well characterized. We examined self-reported and measured built environment correlates of walking for utilitarian purposes among adult residents of small rural towns. Methods. In 2011-12, we collected telephone survey and geographic data from 2152 adults in 9 small towns from three U.S. regions. We performed mixed-effects logistic regression modeling to examine relationships between built environment measures and utilitarian walking (any versus none; high [>= 150 min per week] versus low [<150 min per week]) to retail, employment and public transit destinations. Results. Walking levels were lower than those reported for populations living in larger metropolitan areas. Environmental factors significantly (p < 0.05) associated with higher odds of utilitarian walking in both models included self-reported presence of crosswalks and pedestrian signals and availability of park/natural recreational areas in the neighborhood, and also objectively measured manufacturing land use. Conclusions. Environmental factors associated with utilitarian walking in cities and suburbs were important in small rural towns. Moreover, manufacturing land use was associated with utilitarian walking. Modifying the built environment of small towns could lead to increased walking in a sizeable segment of the U.S. population. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Cities & Towns -- Environmental Conditions; Walking; Telephone Surveys; Logistic Regression Analysis; Public Transit; Cities & Towns; Rural Conditions; United States; Exercise/physical Activity; Health Promotion; Physical Environment; Prevention; Rural Health; Social Environment; Physical-activity; Postmenopausal Women; Adults; Health; Risk; Transportation; Associations; Neighborhood; Travel; Determinants

Multilevel Models for Evaluating the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections and Mid-Blocks

Quistberg, D. Alex; Howard, Eric J.; Ebel, Beth E.; Moudon, Anne V.; Saelens, Brian E.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Curtin, James E.; Rivara, Frederick P. (2015). Multilevel Models for Evaluating the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections and Mid-Blocks. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 84, 99 – 111.

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Abstract

Walking is a popular form of physical activity associated with clear health benefits. Promoting safe walking for pedestrians requires evaluating the risk of pedestrian motor vehicle collisions at specific roadway locations in order to identify where road improvements and other interventions may be needed. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the risk of pedestrian collisions at intersections and mid-blocks in Seattle, WA. The study used 2007-2013 pedestrian motor vehicle collision data from police reports and detailed characteristics of the microenvironment and macroenvironment at intersection and mid-block locations. The primary outcome was the number of pedestrian motor vehicle collisions over time at each location (incident rate ratio [IRR] and 95% confidence interval [95% CI]). Multilevel mixed effects Poisson models accounted for correlation within and between locations and census blocks over time. Analysis accounted for pedestrian and vehicle activity (e.g., residential density and road classification). In the final multivariable model, intersections with 4 segments or 5 or more segments had higher pedestrian collision rates compared to mid-blocks. Non-residential roads had significantly higher rates than residential roads, with principal arterials having the highest collision rate. The pedestrian collision rate was higher by 9% per 10 feet of street width. Locations with traffic signals had twice the collision rate of locations without a signal and those with marked crosswalks also had a higher rate. Locations with a marked crosswalk also had higher risk of collision. Locations with a one-way road or those with signs encouraging motorists to cede the right-of-way to pedestrians had fewer pedestrian collisions. Collision rates were higher in locations that encourage greater pedestrian activity (more bus use, more fast food restaurants, higher employment, residential, and population densities). Locations with higher intersection density had a lower rate of collisions as did those in areas with higher residential property values. The novel spatiotemporal approach used that integrates road/crossing characteristics with surrounding neighborhood characteristics should help city agencies better identify high-risk locations for further study and analysis. Improving roads and making them safer for pedestrians achieves the public health goals of reducing pedestrian collisions and promoting physical activity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Pedestrian Accidents; Road Interchanges & Intersections; Built Environment; Pedestrian Crosswalks; Correlation (statistics); Collision Risk; Multilevel Model; Pedestrians; Geographic Information-systems; Road-traffic Injuries; Physical-activity; Signalized Intersections; Impact Speed; Urban Form; Land-use; Safety; Walking

The Relationship between Objectively Measured Walking and Risk of Pedestrian–Motor Vehicle Collision

Quistberg, D. Alex; Howard, Eric J.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Moudon, Anne V.; Ebel, Beth E.; Rivara, Frederick P.; Saelens, Brian E. (2017). The Relationship between Objectively Measured Walking and Risk of Pedestrian–Motor Vehicle Collision. American Journal Of Epidemiology, 185(9), 810 – 821.

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Abstract

Safe urban walking environments may improve health by encouraging physical activity, but the relationship between an individual's location and walking pattern and the risk of pedestrian-motor vehicle collision is unknown. We examined associations between individuals' walking bouts and walking risk, measured as mean exposure to the risk of pedestrian-vehicle collision. Walking bouts were ascertained through integrated accelerometry and global positioning system data and from individual travel-diary data obtained from adults in the Travel Assessment and Community Study (King County, Washington) in 2008-2009. Walking patterns were superimposed onto maps of the historical probabilities of pedestrian-vehicle collisions for intersections and midblock segments within Seattle, Washington. Mean risk of pedestrian-vehicle collision in specific walking locations was assessed according to walking exposure (duration, distance, and intensity) and participant demographic characteristics in linear mixed models. Participants typically walked in areas with low pedestrian collision risk when walking for recreation, walking at a faster pace, or taking longer-duration walks. Mean daily walking duration and distance were not associated with collision risk. Males walked in areas with higher collision risk compared with females, while vehicle owners, residents of single-family homes, and parents of young children walked in areas with lower collision risk. These findings may suggest that pedestrians moderate collision risk by using lower-risk routes.

Keywords

Traffic Accidents; Confidence Intervals; Geographic Information Systems; Health Promotion; Maps; Research Funding; Walking; Accelerometry; Physical Activity; Data Analysis Software; Diary (literary Form); Descriptive Statistics; Risk Factors; Washington (state); Accidents; Environment Design; Global Positioning Systems; Pedestrians; Risk Assessment; Traffic; Physical-activity; Built Environment; Traffic Safety; Accident Risk; Injury Rates; Route-choice; Exposure; Gps; Travel; Accidents, Traffic

Framing the Question: Is Shrinking Good or Bad?

Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2019). Framing the Question: Is Shrinking Good or Bad? Journal Of Urban Design, 24(1), 66 – 68.

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Keywords

Urban Planning; Unemployment; Cost Of Living; Balance Of Trade; Medical Care; Economic Development; Demography; Decision Making; Framing

Association of Neighborhood Physical Activity Opportunities with Incident Cardiovascular Disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study

Garg, Parveen K.; Platt, Jonathan M.; Hirsch, Jana A.; Hurvitz, Philip; Rundle, Andrew; Biggs, Mary Lou; Psaty, Bruce M.; Moore, Kari; Lovasi, Gina S. (2021). Association of Neighborhood Physical Activity Opportunities with Incident Cardiovascular Disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Health & Place, 70.

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Abstract

We determined associations of cumulative exposures to neighborhood physical activity opportunities with risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). We included 3595 participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study recruited between 1989 and 1993 (mean age = 73; 60% women; 11% black). Neighborhood environment measures were calculated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and annual information from the National Establishment Time Series database, including the density of (1) walking destinations and (2) physical activity/ recreational facilities in a 1- and 5-km radius around the respondent's home. Incident CVD was defined as the development of myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death and associations with time to incident CVD were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. A total of 1986 incident CVD cases occurred over a median follow-up of 11.2 years. After adjusting for baseline and time-varying individual and neighborhood-level confounding, a one standard deviation increase in walking destinations and physical activity/recreational facilities within 5 km of home was associated with a respective 7% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.87-0.99) and 12% (95% CI = 0.73-1.0) decreased risk of incident CVD. No significant associations were noted within a 1-km radius. Efforts to improve the availability of physical activity resources in neighborhoods may be an important strategy for lowering CVD.

Keywords

Cardiovascular Diseases; Physical Activity; Proportional Hazards Models; Geographic Information Systems; Recreation Centers; Built Environment; Cardiovascular Disease; Coronary-heart-disease; Census Tract Data; Older-adults; Longitudinal Associations; Risk; Resources; Time; Atherosclerosis; Survival

Food Environment and Socioeconomic Status Influence Obesity Rates in Seattle and in Paris

Drewnowski, A.; Moudon, A. V.; Jiao, J.; Aggarwal, A.; Charreire, H.; Chaix, B. (2014). Food Environment and Socioeconomic Status Influence Obesity Rates in Seattle and in Paris. International Journal Of Obesity, 38(2), 306 – 314.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare the associations between food environment at the individual level, socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity rates in two cities: Seattle and Paris. METHODS: Analyses of the SOS (Seattle Obesity Study) were based on a representative sample of 1340 adults in metropolitan Seattle and King County. The RECORD (Residential Environment and Coronary Heart Disease) cohort analyses were based on 7131 adults in central Paris and suburbs. Data on sociodemographics, health and weight were obtained from a telephone survey (SOS) and from in-person interviews (RECORD). Both studies collected data on and geocoded home addresses and food shopping locations. Both studies calculated GIS (Geographic Information System) network distances between home and the supermarket that study respondents listed as their primary food source. Supermarkets were further stratified into three categories by price. Modified Poisson regression models were used to test the associations among food environment variables, SES and obesity. RESULTS: Physical distance to supermarkets was unrelated to obesity risk. By contrast, lower education and incomes, lower surrounding property values and shopping at lower-cost stores were consistently associated with higher obesity risk. CONCLUSION: Lower SES was linked to higher obesity risk in both Paris and Seattle, despite differences in urban form, the food environments and in the respective systems of health care. Cross-country comparisons can provide new insights into the social determinants of weight and health.

Keywords

Obesity; Health & Social Status; Social Status; Supermarkets; Grocery Shopping; Physiology; Body-mass Index; Dietary Energy Density; Atherosclerosis Risk; Weight Status; Us Adults; Associations; Health; French; Access; Socioeconomic Status (ses); Access To Supermarket; Food Environment; Food Shopping

Comparisons of Physical Activity and Walking between Korean Immigrant and White Women in King County, WA

Baek, So-Ra; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Saelens, Brian E.; Kang, Bumjoon; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Bae, Chang-hee Christine. (2016). Comparisons of Physical Activity and Walking between Korean Immigrant and White Women in King County, WA. Journal Of Immigrant & Minority Health, 18(6), 1541 – 1546.

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Abstract

Immigrant and minority women are less physically active than White women particularly during leisure time. However, prior research demonstrates that reported household physical activity (PA) and non-leisure time walking/biking were higher among the former. Using accelerometers, GPS, and travel logs, transport-related, home-based, and leisure time PA were measured objectively for 7 days from a convenience sample of 60 first-generation Korean immigrant women and 69 matched White women from the Travel Assessment and Community Project in King County, Washington. Time spent in total PA, walking, and home-based PA was higher among Whites than Korean immigrants regardless of PA type or location. 58 % of the White women but only 20 % of the Korean women met CDC's PA recommendations. Socio-economic status, psychosocial factors, and participants' neighborhood built environmental factors failed to account for the observed PA differences between these groups.

Keywords

Accelerometer; Gps; Korean Immigrant Women; Objective Measures; Physical Activity; Walking; White Women; Nonleisure Time; Leisure-time; Environment; Transportation; Adults; Women; Socioeconomic Status; Time Use; Home Based; Environmental Aspects; Economic Status; Immigrants; Leisure; Socioeconomic Factors; Bicycles; Psychosocial Factors; Comparative Analysis; Minority & Ethnic Groups; Physical Fitness; Regression Analysis; Accelerometers; Travel; Traveltime; Environmental Factors; Recreation; Neighborhoods; Hispanic Americans; Global Positioning Systems--gps; Social Support; Noncitizens; Data Collection; Asian Americans; Psychological Aspects; Households; White People; Asian People; King County Washington; United States--us

GPS or Travel Diary: Comparing Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Visits to Fast Food Restaurants and Supermarkets

Scully, Jason Y.; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Aggarwal, Anju; Drewnowski, Adam. (2017). GPS or Travel Diary: Comparing Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Visits to Fast Food Restaurants and Supermarkets. Plos One, 12(4).

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Abstract

To assess differences between GPS and self-reported measures of location, we examined visits to fast food restaurants and supermarkets using a spatiotemporal framework. Data came from 446 participants who responded to a survey, filled out travel diaries of places visited, and wore a GPS receiver for seven consecutive days. Provided by Public Health Seattle King County, addresses from food permit data were matched to King County tax assessor parcels in a GIS. A three-step process was used to verify travel-diary reported visits using GPS records: (1) GPS records were temporally matched if their timestamps were within the time window created by the arrival and departure times reported in the travel diary; (2) the temporally matched GPS records were then spatially matched if they were located in a food establishment parcel of the same type reported in the diary; (3) the travel diary visit was then GPS-sensed if the name of food establishment in the parcel matched the one reported in the travel diary. To account for errors in reporting arrival and departure times, GPS records were temporally matched to three time windows: the exact time, +/-10 minutes, and +/-30 minutes. One third of the participants reported 273 visits to fast food restaurants; 88% reported 1,102 visits to supermarkets. Of these, 77.3 percent of the fast food and 78.6 percent supermarket visits were GPS-sensed using the +/-10-minute time window. At this time window, the mean travel-diary reported fast food visit duration was 14.5 minutes (SD 20.2), 1.7 minutes longer than the GPS-sensed visit. For supermarkets, the reported visit duration was 23.7 minutes (SD 18.9), 3.4 minutes longer than the GPS-sensed visit. Travel diaries provide reasonably accurate information on the locations and brand names of fast food restaurants and supermarkets participants report visiting.

Keywords

Global Positioning System; Fast Food Restaurants; Self-evaluation; Public Health; Supermarkets; Geoinformatics; Comparative Studies; Biology And Life Sciences; Computer And Information Sciences; Diet; Earth Sciences; Eating; Engineering And Technology; Food; Food Consumption; Geographic Information Systems; Geography; Medicine And Health Sciences; Nutrition; Physiological Processes; Physiology; Public And Occupational Health; Research And Analysis Methods; Research Article; Research Design; Survey Research; Surveys; Transportation; Global Positioning Systems; Environment; Neighborhood; Exposure; Health; Consumption; Tracking; Adults; Associations; Dietary

Introducing Supergrids, Superblocks, Areas, Networks, and Levels to Urban Morphological Analyses

Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2019). Introducing Supergrids, Superblocks, Areas, Networks, and Levels to Urban Morphological Analyses. Iconarp International Journal Of Architecture And Planning, 7, 1 – 14.

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Abstract

Urban morphological analyses have identified the parcel (plot), the building type, or the plan unit (tessuto in Italian) as the basic elements of urban form. As cities have grown in geographic size disproportionately to their growth in population over the past seven decades, new elements have been introduced that structure their form. This essay describes these new elements and proposes that they be formally recognized in urban morphology. It introduces a conceptual framework for a multilevel structure of urban space using areas and networks and including supergrids and superblocks to guide morphological analyses.

Keywords

Morphological Elements; A Posteriori Approach; A Priori Approach

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System

Kerfeld, Cheryl I.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Bjornson, Kristie F. (2021). Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 33(2), 92 – 99.

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Abstract

Purpose: To explore the usefulness of combining accelerometry, global positioning systems, and geographic information systems, to describe the time spent in different locations and physical activity (PA) duration/count levels by location for 4 children with cerebral palsy (CP) who use assistive devices (AD). Methods: A descriptive multiple-case study. Results: Combining the 3 instruments was useful in describing and differentiating duration by location, and amount and location of PA across differing functional levels and AD. For example, the child classified with a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level II exhibited large amounts of PA in community settings. In contrast, the child classified with a GMFCS level V had small amounts of PA and spent most measured time at home. Conclusions: Combined accelerometry, global positioning system, and geographic information system have potential to capture time spent and amount/intensity of PA relative to locations within daily environments for children with CP who use AD.

Keywords

Cerebral-palsy; Objective Measures; Fitness; Youth; Disabilities; Adolescents; Exercise; Adults; Accelerometer; Cerebral Palsy; Environment; Global Positioning System; Mobility Assistive Devices; Physical Activity