Transportation and Health Tools and Resources and a Discussion on Moving Forward

Transportation policy and programs are inextricably linked to health policies and programs. A solid health in all policies approach incorporates transportation, planning and land use decisions. These decisions may positively or negatively impact safety, air quality, physical activity and access to goods and services that support health. Over the last few years, public health has become a growing consideration for the transportation community. The Transportation Research Board established a Health and Transportation subcommittee and the Federal Highway Administration has published case study reports on what Metropolitan Planning Organizations and state Departments of Transportation are doing relative to health.

Health and Transportation subcommittee members will present a variety of tools that the public health practitioner, researcher or analyst can use. At the heart of the session will be the Transportation Health Tool that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) are developing, accompanied by a process framework for incorporating health in the corridor planning process. Following this will be a “Lightning Round”, where several tools of topical interest will be featured. Then the floor will be opened to those in the audience to answer the question “what other tools and resources do we need?”. Then attendees will have the opportunity to connect with decision-makers at USDOT and CDC on what challenges remain for them in addressing health and transportation topics, in their roles as public health researchers and as practitioners.