NCBW Newsroom - The Research BeatThe National & International Scene | Regional and Local Actions | The Research Beat | Resources | Jobs, Grants & RFPs FEWER OVERWEIGHT ADOLESCENTS IN MORE WALKABLE COMMUNITIES -> According to an abstract of a February 2013 Journal of Preventative Medicine article, "Neighborhood design features have been associated with health outcomes, including the prevalence of obesity. This study (Walkable Communities and Adolescent Weight) examined the association between walkability and adolescent weight in a national sample of public secondary school students and the communities in which they live. Data were collected through student surveys and community observations between February and August 2010, and analyses were conducted in Spring 2012. The sample size was 154 communities and 11,041 students. A community walkability index and measures of the prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity were constructed. Multivariable analyses from a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 8th-, 10th- and 12th-grade public school students in the U.S. were run." "The odds of students being overweight (AOR 0.98, 95% CI=0.95, 0.99) or obese (AOR=0.97, 95% CI=0.95, 0.99) decreased if they lived in communities with higher walkability index scores. Results suggest that living in more-walkable communities is associated with reduced prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity." Source: http://bit.ly/10owyG9 (charge to download full article) Via VTPI News: http://bit.ly/10aj4Mz EVALUATING BUILT ENVIRONMENT MOBILITY FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE -> According to a 6-page summary in English of a 2013 study published in Norwegian, "The National Public Roads Administration (NPRA) and The Norwegian Building Authority (NBA) wanted to evaluate standards and practices for facilitating wayfinding and orientation for visually impaired people in transport systems. The purpose of this work was to evaluate standards, handbooks and guidelines, as well as practice, in order to arrive at recommendations on what can be done to make the built environment more accessible and useable for the visually impaired." Source: http://bit.ly/ZOBm6t (6-page summary in English of Norwegian paper) Via TRB Transportation News E-Newsletter: http://bit.ly/Z6uqgd Get a jump start on this news by subscribing to CenterLines. |
|