Developing a framework for assessment of the environmental determinants of walking and cycling

Pikora, Terri; Giles-Corti, Billie; Bull, Fiona; Jamrozik, Konrad; Donovan, Rob

doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00163-6

Cited by 591 publications

(483 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Based on Pikora and colleagues 32 and empirical evidence, 29 the environmental characteristics of aesthetics and the availability of local facilities were used as key indicators of physical environmental perceptions. Aesthetics were assessed with five items ("My neighborhood is friendly"; "My neighborhood provides a pleasant living environment"; "My neighborhood is attractive"; "I feel safe when I am in my neighborhood; There is a lot of traffic in my neighborhood").…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Individual and Physical Environmental Factors with Adolescent Physical Activity

Bruijn

Kremers

Lensvelt-Mulders

et al. 2006

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Individual and Physical Environmental Factors with Adolescent Physical Activity

Bruijn

Kremers

Lensvelt-Mulders

et al. 2006

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

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“…9,11,12 And as more people walk and cycle when car speeds are lower (due to feelings of safety and a more pleasant environment for cyclists and pedestrians), public health is also enhanced through physical exercise in active transport. 6,[13][14][15] There are numerous practical examples of the health impacts of reducing speed in urban areas. One of the best examples is Graz, Austria, which adopted a 30-km/h limit throughout most of the city in the early 1990s, reducing serious casualties by over 25% as well as significantly reducing noise and air pollution.…”

Section: Existing Understandings Of the Links Between Speed And Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Speed Kills: The Complex Links Between Transport, Lack of Time and Urban Health

Tranter

2010

J Urban Health

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Road safety experts understand the contribution of speed to the severity and frequency of road crashes. Yet, the impact of speed on health is far more subtle and pervasive than simply its effect on road safety. The emphasis in urban areas on increasing the speed and volume of car traffic contributes to ill-health through its impacts on local air pollution, greenhouse gas production, inactivity, obesity and social isolation. In addition to these impacts, a heavy reliance on cars as a supposedly 'fast' mode of transport consumes more time and money than a reliance on supposedly slower modes of transport (walking, cycling and public transport). Lack of time is a major reason why people do not engage in healthy behaviours. Using the concept of 'effective speed', this paper demonstrates that any attempt to 'save time' through increasing the speed of motorists is ultimately futile. Paradoxically, if planners wish to provide urban residents with more time for healthy behaviours (such as exercise and preparing healthy food), then, support for the 'slower' active modes of transport should be encouraged. INTRODUCTIONDecreasing the speed of urban transport can have positive impacts on the economy, the environment and health. This paper outlines the main themes of existing research on these impacts and then explores the possibility that there is a more subtle, but no less important, link between speed and health. The paper argues that speed has a cost that can be measured in money and in time. This can produce a paradox whereby 'faster' modes of transport lead to a loss of time. Lack of time, or time pressure, has been identified as an important factor in urban health, due to its negative impact on mental health but also due to its impact on the ability or willingness of people to engage in physical exercise or to avoid fast (junk) food.The arguments about the health impacts of speed apply most clearly to the use of private motor vehicles, and this paper focuses on the health impacts of increasing the speed of cars. However, some of the arguments are also relevant to other highspeed modes. For example, high-speed trains can encourage urban sprawl, the complex negative health impacts of which are outlined below.Tranter is with the School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, UNSW@ADFA, Canberra, ACT, Australia.Correspondence: Paul Joseph Tranter, PhD, School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, UNSW@ADFA, Canberra, ACT, Australia. (E-mail: paul.tranter@adfa.edu.au) EXISTING UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE LINKS BETWEEN SPEED AND HEALTHSpeed is most commonly seen as a health issue in relation to road crashes. There are several other ways in which the speed of motorised traffic is linked to factors that have clear negative health impacts. Increasing the speed of motorised traffic increases levels of pollution. 1 High car speeds can affect levels of physical activity through reductions in active transport, including children's independent mobility. Local social interactions are disrupted by high...

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“…Interest in the 'ultimate' influences on diet and physical activity is relatively new. The importance of the environment on diet and physical activity has only been highlighted in the past decade (Hill & Peters, 1998;Flegal, 1999;Booth et al, 2001;Pikora et al, 2003). Accumulating evidence shows that the environment is an important causal factor in the current obesity epidemic (Bar-Or et al, 1998;Jeffery, 1998;Swinburn et al, 1999;Schmitz & Jeffery, 2000;Golan & Crow, 2004;Kemper et al, 2004).…”

Section: Determinants Of Energy Balance-related Behaviours (Study 2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, low accessibility of healthy foods may reduce self-efficacy expectations towards eating healthily. However, the environment may also exert a direct influence on energy balancerelated behaviours (Booth et al, 2001;Darmon et al, 2003;Pikora et al, 2003). The potential direct influence of the environment on energy balancerelated behaviour is a major component of this study.…”

Section: Needs Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Netherlands Research programme weight Gain prevention (NHF-NRG): rationale, objectives and strategies

et al. 2005

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Objective: To outline the rationale, objectives and strategies used in a systematically designed research programmme to study specific weight gain-inducing behaviours, their social-psychological as well as environmental determinants, and the effects of interventions aimed at the prevention of weight gain. Design: The evidence for potential behavioural determinants and strategies to prevent weight gain was reviewed, and the methods applied within the Netherlands Research programme weight gain prevention (NHF-NRG) project were described. The project is designed according to the Intervention Mapping protocol. Conclusions: Based on the few interventions that were evaluated to date, no robust conclusions can be drawn regarding the effectiveness of obesity prevention. The systematic and multidisciplinary design of the NHF-NRG programme enables the identification of potentially effective methods and strategies for the prevention of weight gain.

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Developing a framework for assessment of the environmental determinants of walking and cycling

Cited by 591 publications

References 13 publications

Modeling Individual and Physical Environmental Factors with Adolescent Physical Activity

Modeling Individual and Physical Environmental Factors with Adolescent Physical Activity

Speed Kills: The Complex Links Between Transport, Lack of Time and Urban Health

Netherlands Research programme weight Gain prevention (NHF-NRG): rationale, objectives and strategies

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