5 May
2017
5 May
'17
9:01 a.m.
FYI -
Subject: Task Force Recommends Built Environment and Transportation System Interventions
to Increase Physical Activity
Dear colleagues,
We are excited to announce the U.S. Community Preventive Services Task
Force<https://www.thecommunityguide.org/task-force/what-task-force> (Task Force) has
issued a new recommendation to increase physical activity through built environment
approaches that combine transportation system interventions with land use and
environmental
design<https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/physical-activity-buil…es>.
Based on the huge volume of high quality work you have all done in the last view years
related to the intersection of transportation and health, I though you and your colleagues
and partners might be interested in these significant new findings and recommendations.
The Task Force recommendation is based on evidence from a systematic
review<https://www.thecommunityguide.org/about/our-methodology> of 90 studies. These
studies used diverse designs, assessed and compared different combinations of
interventions or existing built environment characteristics, and evaluated longitudinal
changes or cross-sectional differences for a wide range of physical activity outcomes.
What does the evidence show?
* Physical activity increases among individuals in communities with new or improved
projects or policies combining transportation (e.g. pedestrian or cycling paths) with land
use and design components (e.g. mixed land uses or access to public parks).
* Combinations of activity-supportive built environment characteristics are
associated with higher levels of transportation-related physical activity, recreational
physical activity, and total walking among exposed individuals.
It has become increasingly clear that the public health and medical sectors cannot
successfully address the health challenges described below on their own. The
Transportation Research Board<http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr282.pdf> and
the National Academy of
Medicine<https://www.nap.edu/catalog/21802/physical-activity-moving-towa…ry>,
as well as many of your professional associations (including
AIA<http://aiad8.prod.acquia-sites.com/sites/default/files/2017-03/Publi…df>,
APA<https://www.planning.org/policy/guides/adopted/surfacetransportation…tm>,
ASCE<http://www.asce.org/issues-and-advocacy/public-policy/policy-statem…s/>,
ASLA<https://www.asla.org/uploadedFiles/CMS/Government_Affairs/Public_Po…df>,
CNU<https://www.cnu.org/who-we-are/charter-new-urbanism>sm>,
ITE<http://library.ite.org/pub/e1bba044-2354-d714-513e-9e190fb4754b>4b>,
NRPA<http://www.nrpa.org/our-work/Three-Pillars/health-wellness/>s/>, and
ULI<https://uli.org/research/centers-initiatives/building-healthy-places…)/>),
and the U.S. Surgeon General<https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/stepitup>up>, supported the
Task Force decision's to review this evidence. Most importantly, the new
recommendation recognizes and supports the importance of the transportation, land use, and
community design sectors in addressing these critical health challenges.
Why is this important?
Physical inactivity accounts for about 11% of premature deaths in the United States, and
$117 billion (in 2012 dollars; 11% of aggregate health care expenditures) annually were
associated with inadequate levels of physical activity. Despite the health benefits, only
one-half of U.S. adults reported levels of physical activity consistent with the guideline
for aerobic physical activity in 2013 (Surgeon General's Call to
Action<http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/stepitup>)p>).
Share the news!
Following are links to more information and promotional materials we hope you will share
with your colleagues and any others who may be interested.
* Intervention
Summary<https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/physical-activity-bui…
a summary of the evidence review and Task Force
finding
* Combined Built Environment Features Help Communities Get
Active<https://www.thecommunityguide.org/content/combined-built-environm…
this story in your newsletter, or share the link with colleagues
* Built Environment One-Pager-use this one-pager as a quick reference
* Twitter<https://twitter.com/CPSTF>(r)-retweet @CPSTF
<https://twitter.com/CPSTF> messages about the new recommendation or tweet one of
the following examples:
o Evidence supports combined built environment approaches to increase physical
activity: http://bit.ly/2oYW1UT #TheCommunityGuide
o See #TheCommunityGuide for new findings from @CPSTF about creating better environments
for physical activity: http://bit.ly/2oYW1UT
What are the Task Force and Community Guide?
* The Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task
Force)<https://www.thecommunityguide.org/task-force/community-preventive…
is an independent, nonfederal, voluntary panel of public health and prevention experts.
The Task Force works to improve the health of all Americans by providing evidence-based
recommendations about community preventive programs and services to improve health. Its
members represent a broad range of research, practice, and policy expertise in community
prevention services, public health, health promotion, and disease prevention.
* The Guide to Community Preventive
Services<http://www.thecommunityguide.org> (The Community Guide) is a collection of
all the evidence-based findings and recommendations of the Community Preventive Services
Task Force and is available online at
www.thecommunityguide.org<http://www.thecommunityguide.org>rg>.
We encourage you to visit The Community Guide website at
www.thecommunityguide.org<http://www.thecommunityguide.org>rg>. Here you'll find
other recommendations relevant to transportation systems and built environments, as well
as supporting resources such as Community Guide in Action stories that feature
decision-makers who have used The Community Guide to make their communities safer and
healthier. We have also added three websites below to use as additional resources.
Thank you for all that you and your colleagues are doing to support healthy community
design efforts and improved transportation systems for all modes and users. We appreciate
any help you can give us to spread the word about the Task Force's new recommendation.
Please let me know if there is any way we can assist your efforts.
CDC's Physical Activity and Health Program: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities:
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/stepitup
CDC's Healthy Places Website: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/