Promoting active community environments through land use and transportation planning

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Urban Planning
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Active community environments are crucial for public health, influencing physical activity levels.
• Land use and transportation planning are key policy areas that can shape community environments.
• Understanding the link between planning policies and physical activity is essential for promoting healthier populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of land use and transportation plans as policy tools for fostering active community environments.
• To determine if active community environment scores are associated with physical activity (PA) levels.
• To examine if these associations differ based on household income.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis utilizing multilevel models.
• Data from 6,694 adults across 67 North Carolina counties, using pooled 2000 and 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys.
• Active community environment scores were derived from a 2003 survey of planning directors, assessing nonmotorized transport improvements, mixed land use, and implementation tools.

Main Results:

• Higher active community environment scores were significantly associated with increased leisure and transportation-related physical activity.
• Specific positive associations were found with bicycling, walking 150 minutes/week, and meeting PA recommendations.
• Lower-income individuals in high-scoring counties were three times more likely to engage in transportation PA compared to those in low-scoring counties.

Conclusions:

• This study highlights policy and institutional factors in land use and transportation planning that correlate with physical activity.
• Planning initiatives can serve as a mechanism to integrate community support for active living into public policy.
• Evidence suggests that strategic planning can create environments that encourage and facilitate physical activity.