142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Driven to support: Individual and county-level factors associated with public support for active transportation policies

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 9:10 AM - 9:30 AM

Angie L. Cradock, ScD , Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Jessica L. Barrett, MPH , Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Jamie F. Chriqui, PhD, MHS , Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kelly R. Evenson, PhD , Department of Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Karin Valentine Goins, MPH , Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
Jeanette Gustat, PhD , Department of Epidemiology; Prevention Research Center, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Katie M. Heinrich, PhD , Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Cynthia K. Perry, PhD, FNP , School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Michele Scanze, MPH , Bureau of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ
Thomas L. Schmid, PhD , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Rachel Tabak, PhD , Prevention Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, PhD, MCHES , Department of Health, Human Performance, & Recreation, Baylor University, Waco, TX
Cheryl Valko, MPH, RD , Prevention Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Introduction: Active transportation is more likely to occur in settings that support bicycling, walking, and transit with functional site designs that promote safety and accessibility for all users. Assessing support for public policies that promote such settings may inform future planning. 

Methods:  Data were analyzed from 906 U.S. adults responding to a random-digit dialed telephone survey fielded from August to November 2011 in selected counties. County-level characteristics were derived from US Census and national data sources. Associations between individual and county-level characteristics and stated support for five active transportation policies were assessed using multivariable multilevel logistic regression.  

Results: Respondents supported policies for accommodating bicyclists and pedestrians as street improvements (89%), active school transportation programs (75%), employer-funded active commuting incentives (67%), allocation of public funding (68%), and tax support for building and maintaining public transit (56%). Spending two or more hours per day in a car was associated with increased odds of supporting street (OR 1.87; CI 1.09-3.22) and transit improvements (OR 1.85; CI 1.24-2.77). Residents in counties with higher household car ownership were less likely to support policies promoting active school transportation (OR 0.97; CI 0.95-1.00) or public transit (OR 0.97; CI 0.95-1.00).  Living in a county with more prior investment in bicycle and pedestrian improvements was associated with greater support for transit (OR 1.71; CI 1.04-2.83) and transit tax funding (OR 1.73; CI 1.08-2.75).  

Conclusion: Support for policies to enable active transport is generally high, but varies according to prior investment, access to local transportation-related amenities, and car use.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the level of support for active transportation related policies based on local county characteristics that include supportive physical environments and perceived access to amenities. Discuss potential public health policy implications for those interested in promoting community policy and design that will create healthy environments “by default”.

Keyword(s): Policy/Policy Development, Transportation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Deputy Director at the Harvard Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity (HPRC) and a Senior Research Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health where my research is primarily focused on the social and environmental factors associated with physical activity and nutrition behaviors among youth. Specific areas of interest include school and neighborhood environments, community-based intervention research, and policy research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4062.0: Progress in Physical Activity Policy Research