Transp. Planning Council

CDC Publications for June 2018  

1. 

Please see below some new, relevant publications... Dr. Steven Lavrenz

Please see below some new, relevant publications in transportation and health, which were released by the CDC last month:

·         CDC's Active People, Healthy Nation^SM: Creating an Active America, Together - journals.humankinetics.com/doi/full/10.1123/...

Physical activity can reduce the risk of at least 20 chronic diseases and conditions and provide effective treatment for many of these conditions. Yet, physical activity levels of Americans remain low, with only small improvements over 20 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considered what would accelerate progress and, as a result, developed Active People, Healthy Nation^SM, an aspirational initiative to improve physical activity in 2.5 million high school youth and 25 million adults, doubling the 10-year improvement targets of Healthy People 2020. Active People, Healthy NationSM will implement evidence-based guidance to improve physical activity through 5 action steps centered on core public health functions: (1) program delivery, (2) partnership mobilization, (3) effective communication, (4) cross-sectoral training, and (5) continuous monitoring and evaluation. To achieve wide-scale impact, Active People, Healthy NationSM will need broad engagement from a variety of sectors working together to coordinate activities and initiatives.

·         Supporting Active Living Through Community Plans: The Association of Planning Documents With Design Standards and Features – journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0890117118779011

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the presence of supportive community planning documents in US municipalities with design standards and requirements supportive of active living. Prevalence of design standards ranged from 19% (developer dedicated right-of-way for bicycle infrastructure development) to 50% (traffic-calming features in areas with high pedestrian and bicycle volume). Features required in policies for development ranged from 14% (short/medium pedestrian-scale block sizes) to 44% (minimum sidewalk widths of 5 feet) of municipalities. As the number of objectives in municipal plans increased, there was a significant and positive trend (P < .05) in the prevalence of each design standard and requirement. Municipal planning documents containing objectives supportive of physical activity are associated with design standards and feature requirements supportive of activity-friendly communities.

·         Community and Street-Scale Supports for Walking in the US Virgin Islands Before the 2017 Hurricanes – ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdfplus/10.2105/...

In May 2016, the USVI Department of Health, with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted a territory-wide audit with a validated tool. Across the USVI, community and street-scale features supportive of walking were uncommon. Improving community and street-scale design in the USVI, particularly in residential areas, could increase physical activity by enhancing walkability and therefore improve public health. In September 2017, the USVI experienced significant damage from 2 hurricanes. The extent to which this changed local features is not yet known. However, such events can create opportunities for leveraging resources to rebuild communities with supports to make them healthier. To accomplish this, pre-disaster community health needs assessments can help inform recovery planning and implementation.9 Although not originally intended for this purpose, the study provides relevant data to help plan, implement, and evaluate recovery efforts that could improve walkability in the USVI.

·         BE Active: Designing for Activity - www.publichealthnewswire.org/?p=20510

CDC is working with states and communities to improve the built environment as part of Active People, Healthy Nation – Creating an Active America, Together^SM. This initiative aims to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027 to improve their overall health and quality of life and to reduce healthcare costs. Public health cannot do this work alone. Putting this new recommendation into action requires partnerships across agencies, departments and sectors working together to coordinate activities and initiatives. CDC is pleased to share a new package of built environment, or BE, resources to help public health professionals and community leaders promote and increase physical activity in their communities. The package includes a visual guide, implementation resource guide and real-world examples.

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Steven M. Lavrenz, PhD
Technical Programs Manager Institute of Transportation Engineers
1627 I Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
slavrenz@ite.org
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