What the Research Tells Us: The Best Ways to Promote Active Living Barbara McCann September, 2004

What the Research Tells Us:What the Research Tells Us:The Best Ways to Promote The Best Ways to Promote

Active LivingActive Living

Barbara McCannBarbara McCannSeptember, 2004September, 2004

What’s the Problem?What’s the Problem?

Americans are on the move… without moving.

What’s the Problem?What’s the Problem?

60% of adults are at risk for diseases associated with inactivity:

• obesity & diabetes

• heart disease & stroke

• some cancers

• depression

Physical InactivityPhysical Inactivity

• Contributes to the deaths of about 200,000 people each year.

• Causes diseases and conditions that cost at least $77 billion a year to treat.

Promoting exercise Promoting exercise has not workedhas not worked

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

What is Active Living?What is Active Living?

A way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines.

But can we get people out of But can we get people out of their cars?their cars?

We already knowWe already know

Urban Form

Affects whether

people walk, take transit,

drive, or bicycle

We already knowWe already know

AffectsChronic Diseases

Walking & Physical Activity

Affects Weight

We want to knowWe want to know

AffectsChronic Diseases

Walking & Physical Activity

Affects Weight

Urban Form

?

New research abounds New research abounds

Obesity and DesignObesity and Design

• Each additional half-hour driven each day increases obesity risk by 3%.

• People with more destinations close to their homes are less likely to be obese.

Frank, L. Am. J. Preventive Medicine, 2004

People living in sprawling People living in sprawling counties:counties:

• Walk less in their leisure time

• Have higher body mass indexes

• Are more likely to be obese

• Are more likely to have high blood pressure.

Photo: Congress for the New Urbanism

Ewing, R. Am. J. of Health Promotion 2003

What is an Activity-Friendly What is an Activity-Friendly Environment?Environment?

A place that makes it easy to make the choice to be physically active, through planned exercise or routine daily activity.

Research SummariesResearch Summaries

Designing for Active RecreationDesigning for Active Recreation

People get more physical activity if their neighborhoods provide a high-quality environment for outdoor activity.

Access to facilitiesAccess to facilities

• People living in areas without many public outdoor recreation facilities were more likely to be overweight.

Catlin, T.K. Am. J. of Health Promotion 2003

• The closer people lived to a bikeway, the more likely they were to use it. Troped P.J.

Preventive Medicine 2001

Access to facilities helps people Access to facilities helps people get enough activity.get enough activity.

43%

27%

0

10

20

30

40

50

safe places to walk no safe place to walk

Residents meeting recommended activity levels:

within ten minutes of home

Powell, K.E. AJPH 2003

Walkable neighborhoods Walkable neighborhoods make a differencemake a difference

Residents in a highly walkable neighborhood engaged in about

70 more minutes per week

of moderate and vigorous physical activity than residents in a low-walkability neighborhood.

Photo: Michael Ronkin, ODOT

Saelens, B. AJPH 2003

Walkable Neighborhoods Walkable Neighborhoods encourage more walkingencourage more walking

Older women who live within walking distance of trails, parks or stores recorded significantly higher pedometer readings than women who did not. The more destinations that were close by, the more they walked.

Photo: Michael Ronkin, ODOT

King, W.C. AJPH 2003

Safety and Weather: surprisingly Safety and Weather: surprisingly weak evidenceweak evidence

A literature review of health research found little association between crime rates or poor weather and sedentary lifestyles.

Photo: Michael Ronkin, ODOT

Humpel, N. Am. J. of Preventive Medicine 2002

Designing for Active Designing for Active TransportationTransportation

•Proximity: Are there places nearby to walk to?

•Connectivity: Are there safe and direct ways to make the trip?

ProximityProximity

People are more likely to commute People are more likely to commute to work on foot or via bicycle if they:to work on foot or via bicycle if they:

• live in a city center • live close to a non-

residential building • live very close to a

grocery or drug store and

• have good access to public transportation.

Cervero, R. Transportation Research Record 2001

ConnectivityConnectivity

People living in areas where more of People living in areas where more of the street network is a grid take the street network is a grid take more trips on foot.more trips on foot.

Illustration: Frank, LD “Health & Community Design”

Greenwald, M.J. Transportation Research Record 2001

The impact of facilities The impact of facilities is less clear in the researchis less clear in the research

A North Carolina study found that the presence of sidewalks, trails, and street lights had little impact on recreational physical activity.

Huston, S. Am. J. Health Promotion, 2003

Walkable neighborhoods Walkable neighborhoods encourage trips by bike & footencourage trips by bike & foot

56%

33%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

traditional suburban

Portion of residents walking to shops

People in traditional

neighborhoods are more likely to walk to nearby shops.

Handy, S.L. Transportation Research Record 1996

What about self-selection?What about self-selection?

•People shift some trips to transit, bicycling, and walking when they move into more walkable neighborhoods.

•One-third of residents in sprawling parts of Atlanta would prefer to live in a more walkable neighborhood.

Krizek, K.J. Transportation Research Record 2000

Frank, L.D. www.smartraq.net 2003

Walkable neighborhoods have a Walkable neighborhoods have a positive impact on healthpositive impact on health

Middle-aged men who biked or walked to work weighed less and gained weight more slowly, whether or not they engaged in other exercise.

Wagner, A. Internatl. J. of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders

2001

Walkable neighborhoods have a Walkable neighborhoods have a positive impact on healthpositive impact on health

On average, walkable neighborhoods encourage 15-30 extra minutes of walking per week,

enough to lose a pound a year.

Saelens, B.E. Annals of Behavioral Medicine

2003

Active Living ResearchActive Living Research

Supports research to learn how we can change the design of communities, parks, and buildings to make it easier for people to lead active lives.

Active Living ResearchActive Living Research

A project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Active Living ResearchActive Living Research

• Measurement• of the environment• of activity

• Cross-sectional Research• comparing places

• Longitudinal Research• Change over time

• Effectiveness of interventions

Supported Research: Supported Research: MeasurementMeasurement

• How do you measure and record the elements that encourage physical activity?

• What elements make a street walkable?

• What technology can be used for accurate data collection?

Supported Research: Supported Research: Environment & PolicyEnvironment & Policy

What types of communities support active living?What types of parks and trails best support active living?What is the impact of the environment on children and people with low incomes?

Supported Research: Supported Research: Effective InterventionsEffective Interventions

What happens when people move to a more walkable community?

Are educational interventions more successful in activity-friendly environments?

Supported Research: Supported Research: Leveraging Existing StudiesLeveraging Existing Studies

Adding an international land-use component to the International Physical Activity Prevalence Study.

Adding an environmental component to several ongoing U.S. physical activity studies.

Upcoming Research AreasUpcoming Research Areas

•Case studies

•Policy research

•The process of policy change

The potential to increase The potential to increase active transportationactive transportation

• More than one-quarter of trips in urban areas are a mile or less

• Half of all trips are less than three miles.

National Household Travel Survey

For More InformationFor More Information

www.activelivingresearch.orgwww.bmccann.net