The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

3272.0: Monday, November 17, 2003 - Table 2

Abstract #71851

Impact of Neighborhood Design and School Demographics on Walking and Biking to Elementary School

Mark Braza, MA, Formerly with the Environmental Protection Agency, In care of Anne Seeley, P.O. Box 942732, MS 675, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320, Wendy E. Shoemaker, MS, PsyD, California Project LEAN, California Department of Health Services, PO Box 942732, MS 675, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320, and Anne Seeley, BA, Physical Activity and Health Initiative, Active Community Environments, California Department of Health Services, P.O. Box 942732, MS 725, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320, (916) 445-0472, aseeley@dhs.ca.gov.

Purpose: This study evaluates the effect of school demographics and neighborhood design on children’s rates of walking/biking to school. It also presents a simple methodology that public health officials, education administrators, and urban planners can replicate to estimate the impact of development decisions on children’s mobility in their communities. Design: A cross-sectional study of elementary schools and their surrounding neighborhoods was employed. Setting and Subjects: Thirty-five (23%) of 150 California public elementary schools holding the October 1999 Walk to School Day participated in the study. Measures: Teachers asked fifth-grade students how they arrived to school one week before Walk to School Day. Population/housing unit density, street network connectivity, and school size measured neighborhood design; student ethnicity and welfare eligibility measured school demographics. Results: In bi-variate tests, population density (t = 3.31), housing unit density (t = 4.51), and percentage of Caucasian students (t = 3.39) showed statistically significant relationships with walking/biking rates (p<.05). In multi-variate tests, percentage of welfare-eligible students was also significantly related (p<.05). Conclusions: Population and housing unit density remain significantly related to walking/biking when controlling for ethnicity and income status, suggesting that neighborhood design affects walking/biking independent of demographic factors. Because this sample is small and self-selected, results must be generalized with caution and statistical tests had low power to detect all potential relationships.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Environment, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment

Built Environment Institute V. Interactive roundtable discussions on the impact of urban sprawl, neighborhood design, and land use on the public's health

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA