Evaluation of Event Physical Activity Engagement at an Open Streets Initiative Within a Texas-Mexico Border Town

Open streets initiatives provide an opportunity to engage in physical activity (PA) freely by temporarily closing streets to motorized traffic.

Route counting estimation and event intercept surveys (n = 682) were conducted across 4 CycloBia events in Brownsville, TX, in 2015 to determine sociodemographics, PA engagement at the event, event awareness, and past CycloBia attendance.

Cycling was the most commonly observed activity along the route (73.6%) followed by walking (22.9%). Attendees self-reported a median of 120 minutes in PA with 17.3% of attendees meeting recommended weekly PA guidelines at the event. Significant predictors of meeting PA guidelines via event PA engagement were past event attendance, sex, age, and Hispanic ethnicity.

Findings suggest that CycloBia reached a large, low-income, predominantly Hispanic population and may be effective in promoting PA. Results help understand the effect of an open streets initiative on attendees living in a midsize, border city.