No abstract

No abstract

Type of Report and Period CoveredFinal Report 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Supplementary Notes AbstractThis report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. We compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition.The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study, surveying populations of diverse incomes, collecting resident information on preferences for and attitudes towards neighborhood qualities, and addressing transportation and health outcomes for diverse community designs.17.

Type of Report and Period Covered Sponsoring Agency Code Supplementary Notes AbstractThere is a growing body of evidence that environmental factors are related to physical activity and active modes of transportation. There is a separate body of research that links neighborhood safety to physical activity. This study used a cross sectional telephone survey of 801 parents/guardians of low income children in Florida to bridge these literatures and examine the independent relationship of the built environment and neighborhood safety on childrens' physical activity.In multivariate regression models we find that neighborhood safety is a more consistent predictor of low income children's physical activity. In neighborhoods where parents reported that there was a safe outdoor place for children to play, children more frequently engaged in vigorous exercise. Children in these neighborhoods were also more likely to participate in sports teams and classes. Measures of the built environment, in contrast, were not related to physical activity. In sum, our findings point to the potential role of public safety in influencing physical activity. Efforts to improve neighborhood safety may have the added benefit of increasing children's physical activity levels in low income areas.

No abstract