To walk or not to walk.

College is the time in a young adult’s life that behaviors and attitudes are developed.  This makes the information and activities they take part in vital to their development, especially their active living development.  The article in the Journal of American College Health by Susan B. Sisson, PhD; James J. McClain, PhD; Catrine Tudor-Locke, PhD focuses on walkability on college campuses.  It compares college campuses to high density communities and analyzes the distance walked and the amount of steps students take in a week.  These statistics were then compared to the built environment of two college campuses, ASU-Tempe and ASU- Polytechnic.  The Tempe campus has many destinations within walking distance, has sidewalks on every street, and is built on a grid that isolates vehicle traffic.  While the Polytechnic campus has fewer walkable destinations, has very few sidewalks, and is laid out along a road with lots of vehicle traffic.  The results showed that the built environment of the ASU Tempe campus is more conducive to pedestrian behavior than the Polytechnic campus.  The results also showed walking for transportation helps students to meet recommended daily physical activity levels.

This article applies to the transportation part of my research.  If we can create a campus that encourages walking and/or using sustainable transportation (ie. bikes and buses), TAMU would benefit physically and environmentally.  

But it's MY choice!

It's not a secret that we don't move as much during our daily activities as we used to, the popular question is why not?  Active Living Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, produced a summary of a portion of their research called Active Living Among Adults. Below, I cover the topics that pertain to my project.

Over the past five decades, people have begun to use less energy on work, transportation, and household activities. And in turn, sedentary habits, such as driving and screen entertainment, have become more prominent in today’s society. More that 95% of adults do not meet the recommended amount of daily physical activity, and 66% of American adults are overweight or obese.

Personal choice is not the only factor in the level of personal physical activity. Design of the built environment can either enhance or inhibit physical activity in a community. According to the CDC, “creating, improving and promoting places to be physically active can result in a 25 percent increase in the percentage of residents who exercise at least three times per week.”

In addition, if changes were made in zoning and development regulation and there was more of an investment in transportation, more walkable communities would be encouraged, despite social trends that have caused a decrease in physical activity. Communities with sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails have also seen a definite increase in physical activity than those without. Also, people are more likely to walk or bike to their destination if they have a variety of destinations close to their home. These connections are seen more often in low income areas than in areas with high socioeconomic standing.