The association between access to public transportation and self-reported active commuting

A review of factors influencing sensitive skin: an emphasis on built environment characteristics

Background

Sensitive skin (SS) is a condition characterized by hyperreactivity. Impacting around 37 percent of the worldwide population and exerting an influence on the quality of life for affected individuals. Its prevalence rate has increased due to factors such as elevating stress levels and deteriorating environmental conditions. The exposome factors influencing SS have extended from demographic, biological attributes, and lifestyle to external environments. Built environments (BEs) have demonstrated as root drivers for changes in behaviors and environmental exposure which have the potential to trigger SS, but the review of the associations between BEs and SS is currently lacking.

Objective

This review aims to achieve two primary objectives: (1) Examine exposome factors that exert influence on SS at the individual and environmental levels. (2) Develop a theoretical framework that establishes a connection between BEs and SS, thereby offering valuable insights into the impact of the built environment on this condition.

Methods

An extensive literature search was carried out across multiple fields, including sociology, epidemiology, basic medicine, clinical medicine, and environmental research, with a focus on SS. To identify pertinent references, renowned databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI were utilized.

Results

SS is the outcome of interactions between individual attributes and environmental factors. These influencing factors can be categorized into five distinct classes: (1) demographic and socioeconomic characteristics including age, gender, and race; (2) physiological and biological attributes such as emotional changes, skin types, sleep disorders, and menstrual cycles in women; (3) behavioral factors, such as spicy diet, cosmetic use, alcohol consumption, and physical exercise; (4) natural environmental features, including climate conditions and air pollution; (5) built environmental features such as population density, green space availability, road network density, and access to public transportation, also have the potential to affect the condition.

Conclusion

The importance of interdisciplinary integration lies in its ability to ascertain whether and how BEs are impacting SS. By elucidating the role of BEs in conjunction with other factors in the onset of SS, we can provide guidance for future research endeavors and the formulation of interventions aimed at mitigating the prevalence of SS.

A comprehensive walkability evaluation system for promoting environmental benefits

Pedestrian-oriented urban strategies such as the Paris 15-minute City are needed to respond to the global boiling. Quantitative evaluation of pedestrian-oriented urban objectives is important for various cities, and in this paper, a walkability evaluation system for the advanced model is developed considering the characteristics of a large city. The system calculates the walkability of Seoul. The evaluation system uses the Betweenness index as a weight in the urban network analysis. Considering stations with a high betweenness in urban traffic is essential for evaluating a pedestrian-oriented metropolis. Our findings in this study are that the UNA index in WES is critical for transit-oriented, walkable cities. The large city needs to find the location for mobility hubs or stations to observe the last mile. Installing a mobility hub or station at a high-value location in the city center is functionally important. In a pedestrian-oriented city, citizens can walk and bike the last mile in a busy city center. Walkable cities can encourage active transport and ultimately create more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation systems. This study offers valuable insights into pedestrian infrastructure, urban systems, and policies that promote green transportation.

Research on the Jobs-Housing Balance of Residents in Peri-Urbanization Areas in China: A Case Study of Zoucheng County

In the process of urbanization, peri-urbanization is a unique phenomenon in China. For residents living in peri-urbanization areas, realizing the balance between workplace and living space is not only a crucial guarantee for them to secure livelihood but also an important criterion to measure the quality of China’s urbanization. Based on the questionnaire data distributed by the research group in Zoucheng County, China, in 2021, this study measures the degree of jobs-housing balance in county area by constructing the benefit index of jobs-housing balance and explores factors affecting the jobs-housing balance in county area by using logistic regression, random forest classification, and regression tree. Results: Firstly, with 57% of the residents have achieved the standard, the level of jobs-housing balance in Zoucheng County is relatively high. Secondly, individual, household and built environment dimensions jointly affect jobs-housing balance of residents. Furthermore, at the current stage of China’s county areas, household is not the core dimension influencing jobs-housing balance. Thirdly, factors that passed the significance test can be divided into three categories: key factors, important factors, and auxiliary factors. Occupation type, commuting way and residential location are the key factors affecting the jobs-housing balance, which deserve our attention. Therefore, according to the above conclusions, relevant suggestions for promoting jobs-housing balance of residents in county area were put forward. For instance, considering the diverse occupation of local residents, employments that match their skills should be offered, and as for peri-urbanization areas, the regulatory of jobs-housing balance should be placed in urban and rural areas.

Integrating health indicators into urban and transport planning: A narrative literature review and participatory process

Today, urban and transport planners face considerable challenges in designing and retrofitting cities that are prepared for increasing urban populations, and their service and mobility needs. When it comes to health-promoting urban and transport developments, there is also a lack of standardized, quantitative indicators to guide the integration of health components right from the outset, i.e. in the formal planning or zoning phase. We narratively reviewed the literature and organized stakeholder workshops to identify and tailor planning principles and indicators that can be linked to health outcomes. We defined four core planning objectives that previous authoritative studies have suggested to result in positive health outcomes among city dwellers, which are: I) development of compact cities, II) reduction of private motorized transport, III) promotion of active (i.e. walking and cycling) and public transport, IV) development of green and public open space. Built on the review and stakeholder consensus, we identified 10 urban and transport planning principles that work towards achieving the four core objectives thought to provide health benefits for European city dwellers. These 10 planning principles are: 1) land use mix, 2) street connectivity, 3) density, 4) motorized transport reductions, 5) walking, 6) cycling, 7) public transport, 8) multi-modality, 9) green and public open space, and 10) integration of all planning principles. A set of indicators was developed and tailored for each planning principle. The final output of this work is a checklist ready to be applied by urban and transport professionals to integrate health into urban and transport developments in urban environments right from the outset.

The association between water hardness and xerosis-Results from the Danish Blood Donor Study

BACKGROUND

The pathophysiology of xerosis depends on extrinsic and intrinsic exposures. Residential hard water may constitute such an exposure.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of xerosis and to compare water hardness exposure in blood donors with and without xerosis.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study in 2018-2019, blood donors with self-reported moderately or severely dry skin were compared to blood donors without dry skin. Blood donors with ichthyosis, lichen planus and psoriasis were excluded. Water hardness data was collected from the Geology Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

RESULTS

Overall, 4,748 of 30,721 (15.5%; 95% confidence interval 15.1-15.9%) blood donors had xerosis. After excluding blood donors with ichthyosis, lichen planus and psoriasis, 4,416 blood donors (2,559 females; median age 38.4 years [interquartile range 28.0-49.8]; 700 smokers) remained in this study. Water softer than 12-24 degrees Deutsche härte was associated with decreased probability of xerosis (odds ratio 0.83; 95% confidence interval 0.74-0.94) and water harder than 12-24 degrees Deutsche härte was associated with increased probability of xerosis (odds ratio 1.22; 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.45). The association between water hardness and xerosis remained significant after excluding blood donors with dermatitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Water hardness is associated with xerosis independent of other dermatoses.

Public transport access to NHS dental care in Great Britain

Objective Access to transport is a common barrier to oral health. Greater dependence on public transport has shown delayed oral healthcare, lack of usual source of care and greater unmet health needs. This study examined the spatial accessibility of the population of Great Britain to public transport in providing access to oral healthcare.Methods A total of 8,791 dental practices in Great Britain were identified and geocoded. There were 10,444 rail, metro and light rail stops and 348,961 bus and tram stops. Geographic information systems were utilised to integrate the dental practice locations and public transport points to respective census tracts of each nation containing population data, deprivation measures, and classification of rural and urban areas.Results Almost all dental clinics in Great Britain were located within 400 m of bus and tram stops or 800 m of a rail, metro or light rail stop. Similarly, in Scotland and England, 92% lived within any public transport (within 400m of bus and tram stops or 800m of a rail, metro or light rail stop), and in Wales, 84.2% lived within any public transport stop. However, only 75.1%, 79.6% and 60.4% of the population of Scotland, England and Wales had access to a high-frequency bus stop, respectively. In Scotland, England and Wales, 40.7%, 33.7% and 38.3% of rural residents did not have access to any public transport and only 4.9%, 7.5% and 14.6% of the rural residents had access to an optimal bus stop, respectively. In Wales, 19.5% of older adults do not have access to a bus stop.Conclusion Some transport-disadvantaged groups do not have adequate access to public transport services. There is a compelling need to address public transport integration with oral health facilities to ensure equality in accessing integral services.

Objectively Measured Built Environments and Cardiovascular Diseases in Middle-Aged and Older Korean Adults

This study assesses the association between the objectively measured built environment and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in 50,741 adults from the Korean Community Health Survey. The CVD outcomes of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) or angina were derived from self-reported histories of physician diagnoses. Using ArcGIS software and Korean government databases, this study measured the built environment variables for the 546 administrative areas of Gyeonggi province. A Bayesian spatial multilevel model was performed independently in two age groups (i.e., 40–59 years or ≥60 years). After adjusting for statistical significant individual- and community-level factors with the spatial associations, living far from public transit was associated with an increase in the odds of MI or angina in middle-aged adults, while living in neighborhoods in which fast-food restaurants were concentrated was associated with a decrease in the odds of hypertension and stroke. For adults 60 or older, living farther from public physical-activity (PA) facilities was associated with a 15% increased odds for dyslipidemia, compared with living in neighborhoods nearer to PA facilities. These findings suggest that creating a built environment that provides more opportunities to engage in PA in everyday life should be considered a strategy to reduce the prevalence of CVD.

A systematic review of empirical and simulation studies evaluating the health impact of transportation interventions

Urban transportation is an important determinant of health and environmental outcomes, and therefore essential to achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. To better understand the health impacts of transportation initiatives, we conducted a systematic review of longitudinal health evaluations involving: a) bus rapid transit (BRT); b) bicycle lanes; c) Open Streets programs; and d) aerial trams/cable cars. We also synthesized systems-based simulation studies of the health-related consequences of walking, bicycling, aerial tram, bus and BRT use. Two reviewers screened 3302 unique titles and abstracts identified through a systematic search of MEDLINE (Ovid), Scopus, TRID and LILACS databases. We included 39 studies: 29 longitudinal evaluations and 10 simulation studies. Five studies focused on low- and middle-income contexts. Of the 29 evaluation studies, 19 focused on single component bicycle lane interventions; the rest evaluated multi-component interventions involving: bicycle lanes (n = 5), aerial trams (n = 1), and combined bicycle lane/BRT systems (n = 4). Bicycle lanes and BRT systems appeared effective at increasing bicycle and BRT mode share, active transport duration, and number of trips using these modes. Of the 10 simulation studies, there were 9 agent-based models and one system dynamics model. Five studies focused on bus/BRT expansions and incentives, three on interventions for active travel, and the rest investigated combinations of public transport and active travel policies. Synergistic effects were observed when multiple policies were implemented, with several studies showing that sizable interventions are required to significantly shift travel mode choices. Our review indicates that bicycle lanes and BRT systems represent promising initiatives for promoting population health. There is also evidence to suggest that synergistic effects might be achieved through the combined implementation of multiple transportation policies. However, more rigorous evaluation and simulation studies focusing on low- and middle-income countries, aerial trams and Open Streets programs, and a more diverse set of health and health equity outcomes is required.

Associations between Public Transport Accessibility around Homes and Schools and Walking and Cycling among Adolescents

Good public transport accessibility is associated with active travel, but this is under-researched among adolescents. We tested associations between public transport accessibility and active travel among school-going adolescents (12-18 years; n = 1329) from Melbourne, Australia analysing Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity data. Outcomes included main mode of transport to school and accumulating ≥20 min of active travel over the day. Low and high compared to no public transport accessibility around homes were associated with higher odds of public transport use (low (odds ratio (OR): 1.94 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28, 2.94) high (OR: 2.86 95% CI: 1.80, 4.53)). Low and high public transport accessibility around homes were also associated with higher prevalence of achieving ≥20 min of active travel (low (prevalence ratio (PR): 1.14 95% CI: 0.97, 1.34) high (PR: 1.31 95% CI: 1.11, 1.54)) compared to none. Public transport accessibility around schools was associated with public transport use (low (OR: 2.13 95% CI: 1.40, 3.24) high (OR: 5.07 95% CI: 3.35, 7.67)) and achieving ≥20 min of active travel (low (PR: 1.18 95% CI: 1.00, 1.38) high (PR: 1.64 95% CI: 1.41, 1.90)). Positive associations were confirmed between public transport accessibility and both outcomes of active travel.

Moving Toward Active Lifestyles: The Change of Transit-Related Walking to Work From 2009 to 2017

BACKGROUND

This study explored the percentage change of walking to/from public transit to work from 2009 to 2017 in general and for specific sociodemographic characteristics. Furthermore, this study also examined the sociodemographic characteristics of those who walked to/from transit to work and those who walked 30 minutes or more per day to/from transit to work and compared the difference between 2009 and 2017.

METHODS

2009 and 2017 National Household Travel Survey were used. This study used weighted logistic regressions to explore the sociodemographic characteristics of those who walked to/from transit to work and those who walked 30 minutes or more per day to/from transit to work in both 2009 and 2017.

RESULTS

The percentage of trips achieving the recommended level of physical activity (30 min or more per day) by walking to/from transit work solely has a slightly increase from 9 in 2009 to 9.5 in 2017. However, the weighted percentages of walking to/from transit to work decreased for low-education, low-income, and minority populations. High population density areas were related to more transit-related walking trips to work in both 2009 and 2017.

CONCLUSIONS

Policymakers in terms of transit location and service should consider low-education, low-income, and minority populations to address potential equity issues.

Residential self-selection, perceived built environment and type 2 diabetes incidence: A longitudinal analysis of 36,224 middle to older age adults

Much of the existing studies on the built environment and type 2 diabetes are cross-sectional and prone to residential self-selection bias. Using multilevel logistic regression analysis of 36,224 participants from a longitudinal study, we examined whether perceived built environment characteristics are associated with type 2 diabetes. We found that the odds of diabetes incidence varied geographically. Those who reported that there were no local amenities and reported day- and night-time crime rates made walking unsafe in the neighbourhood had higher odds of developing incident type 2 diabetes. These associations persisted after accounting for some predictors of residential self-selection. More longitudinal studies are needed to corroborate the findings. Changing the features of the residential built environment may be an important point of intervention for type 2 diabetes prevention.

The Smart City Active Mobile Phone Intervention (SCAMPI) study to promote physical activity through active transportation in healthy adults: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background

The global pandemic of physical inactivity represents a considerable public health challenge. Active transportation (i.e., walking or cycling for transport) can contribute to greater total physical activity levels. Mobile phone-based programs can promote behaviour change, but no study has evaluated whether such a program can promote active transportation in adults. This study protocol presents the design and methodology of The Smart City Active Mobile Phone Intervention (SCAMPI), a randomised controlled trial to promote active transportation via a smartphone application (app) with the aim to increase physical activity.

Methods/design

A two-arm parallel randomised controlled trial will be conducted in Stockholm County, Sweden. Two hundred fifty adults aged 20–65 years will be randomised to either monitoring of active transport via the TRavelVU app (control), or to a 3-month evidence-based behaviour change program to promote active transport and monitoring of active travel via the TRavelVU Plus app (intervention). The primary outcome is moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA in minutes/day) (ActiGraph wGT3x-BT) measured post intervention. Secondary outcomes include: time spent in active transportation measured via the TRavelVU app, perceptions about active transportation (the Transport and Physical Activity Questionnaire (TPAQ)) and health related quality of life (RAND-36). Assessments are conducted at baseline, after the completed intervention (after 3 months) and 6 months post randomisation.

Discussion

SCAMPI will determine the effectiveness of a smartphone app to promote active transportation and physical activity in an adult population. If effective, the app has potential to be a low-cost intervention that can be delivered at scale.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03086837; 22 March, 2017.

Impact of Distance on Mode of Active Commuting in Chilean Children and Adolescents

Active commuting could contribute to increasing physical activity. The objective of this study was to characterise patterns of active commuting to and from schools in children and adolescents in Chile. A total of 453 Chilean children and adolescents aged between 10 and 18 years were included in this study. Data regarding modes of commuting and commuting distance was collected using a validated questionnaire. Commuting mode was classified as active commuting (walking and/or cycling) or non-active commuting (car, motorcycle and/or bus). Commuting distance expressed in kilometres was categorised into six subgroups (0 to 0.5, 0.6 to 1, 1.1 to 2, 2.1 to 3, 3.1 to 5 and >5 km). Car commuting was the main mode for children (to school 64.9%; from school 51.2%) and adolescents (to school 50.2%; from school 24.7%). Whereas public bus commuting was the main transport used by adolescents to return from school. Only 11.0% and 24.8% of children and adolescents, respectively, walk to school. The proportion of children and adolescents who engage in active commuting was lower in those covering longer distances compared to a short distance. Adolescents walked to and from school more frequently than children. These findings show that non-active commuting was the most common mode of transport and that journey distances may influence commuting modes in children and adolescents.

Health research needs more comprehensive accessibility measures: integrating time and transport modes from open data

Background

In this paper, we demonstrate why and how both temporality and multimodality should be integrated in health related studies that include accessibility perspective, in this case healthy food accessibility. We provide evidence regarding the importance of using multimodal spatio-temporal accessibility measures when conducting research in urban contexts and propose a methodological approach for integrating different travel modes and temporality to spatial accessibility analyses. We use the Helsinki metropolitan area (Finland) as our case study region to demonstrate the effects of temporality and modality on the results.

Methods

Spatial analyses were carried out on 250 m statistical grid squares. We measured travel times between the home location of inhabitants and open grocery stores providing healthy food at 5 p.m., 10 p.m., and 1 a.m. using public transportation and private cars. We applied the so-called door-to-door approach for the travel time measurements to obtain more realistic and comparable results between travel modes. The analyses are based on open access data and publicly available open-source tools, thus similar analyses can be conducted in urban regions worldwide.

Results

Our results show that both time and mode of transport have a prominent impact on the outcome of the analyses; thus, understanding the realities of accessibility in a city may be very different according to the setting of the analysis used. In terms of travel time, there is clear variation in the results at different times of the day. In terms of travel mode, our results show that when analyzed in a comparable manner, public transport can be an even faster mode than a private car to access healthy food, especially in central areas of the city where the service network is dense and public transportation system is effective.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that time and transport modes are essential components when modeling health-related accessibility in urban environments. Neglecting them from spatial analyses may lead to overly simplified or even erroneous images of the realities of accessibility. Hence, there is a risk that health related planning and decisions based on simplistic accessibility measures might cause unwanted outcomes in terms of inequality among different groups of people.

The Association of Trip Distance With Walking To Reach Public Transit: Data from the California Household Travel Survey

INTRODUCTION

Use of public transit is cited as a way to help individuals incorporate regular physical activity into their day. As a novel research topic, however, there is much we do not know. The aim of this analysis was to identify the correlation between distance to a transit stop and the probability it will be accessed by walking. We also sought to understand if this relation was moderated by trip, personal or household factors.

METHODS

Data from the 2012 California Household Travel Survey was used for this cross-sectional analysis. 2,573 individuals were included, representing 6,949 transit trips. Generalized estimating equations modeled the probability of actively accessing public transit as a function of distance from origin to transit stop, and multiple trip, personal and household variables. Analyses were conducted in 2014 and 2015.

RESULTS

For each mile increase in distance from the point of origin to the transit stop, the probability of active access decreased by 12%. With other factors held equal, at two miles from a transit stop there is a 50% chance someone will walk to a stop versus non-active means. The distance-walking relation was modified by month the trips were taken.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals appear to be willing to walk further to reach transit than existing guidelines indicate. This implies that for any given transit stop, the zone of potential riders who will walk to reach transit is relatively large. Future research should clarify who transit-related walkers are, and why some are more willing to walk longer distances to transit than others.

Potential Health Implications and Health Cost Reductions of Transit-Induced Physical Activity

Transit has the potential to increase an individual's level of physical activity due to the need to walk or bike at the beginning and end of each trip. Consideration of these health benefits would allow transit proponents to better demonstrate its true costs and benefits. In light of transit's potential health-related impacts, this study contributes to the growing discussion in the emerging field of health and transportation by providing a review of the current level of understanding and evidence related to the physical activity implications of transit use and its associated health cost benefits. Findings from the review revealed that transit use is associated with increased levels of physical activity and improved health outcomes, but the magnitude of these effects is uncertain. There were few studies that estimated the health care cost savings of transit systems, and those that did tended to be imprecise and simplistic. Objective physical activity measures and frequency-based transit measures would allow for greater consistency across studies and help more directly attribute physical activity gains to transit ridership. Additionally, research in this area would benefit from disaggregate estimation techniques and more robust health datasets that can be better linked with existing transit data.

Active Traveling and Its Associations with Self-Rated Health, BMI and Physical Activity: A Comparative Study in the Adult Swedish Population

Active traveling to a daily occupation means that an individual uses an active way of traveling between two destinations. Active travel to work or other daily occupations offers a convenient way to increase physical activity levels which is known to have positive effects on several health outcomes. Frequently used concepts in city planning and regional planning today are to create environments for active commuting and active living. Even then, little research has focused on traveling modes and subjective health outcomes such as self-rated health (SRH). This study aimed to explore and investigate associations between travel mode and health-related outcomes, such as self-rated health (SRH), body mass index (BMI) and overall physical activity, in an adult population in Sweden. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a randomly selected population-based sample (n = 1786, age 45-75 years); the respondents completed a questionnaire about their regular travel mode, demographics, lifestyle, BMI and SRH. Chi-square tests and logistic regressions found that inactive traveling was associated with poor SRH, a greater risk of obesity or being overweight and overall physical inactivity. In addition, lifestyle factors, such as choice of food and smoking habits, were associated with SRH, BMI and overall physical activity.

Examining the link between public transit use and active commuting

BACKGROUND

An established relationship exists between public transportation (PT) use and physical activity. However, there is limited literature that examines the link between PT use and active commuting (AC) behavior. This study examines this link to determine if PT users commute more by active modes.

METHODS

A volunteer, convenience sample of adults (n = 748) completed an online survey about AC/PT patterns, demographic, psychosocial, community and environmental factors. t-test compared differences between PT riders and non-PT riders. Binary logistic regression analyses examined the effect of multiple factors on AC and a full logistic regression model was conducted to examine AC.

RESULTS

Non-PT riders (n = 596) reported less AC than PT riders. There were several significant relationships with AC for demographic, interpersonal, worksite, community and environmental factors when considering PT use. The logistic multivariate analysis for included age, number of children and perceived distance to work as negative predictors and PT use, feelings of bad weather and lack of on-street bike lanes as a barrier to AC, perceived behavioral control and spouse AC were positive predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the complex relationship between AC and PT use. Further research should investigate how AC and public transit use are related.