title: Factors associated with federal transportation funding for local pedestrian and bicycle programming and facilities.
abstract: Providing safe, convenient places for walking and bicycling can reduce barriers to participating in regular physical activity. We examined bicycle- and pedestrian-related investments authorized by federal transportation legislation in 3,140 counties in the United States by region, population size and urbanization, social and economic characteristics, and indicators of travel-related walking and bicycling. From 1992 to 2004, states and counties implemented 10,012 bicycle- and pedestrian-related projects representing $3.17 billion in federal expenditures. We found disparities in implementation and system-building outcomes according to population size and location and social and economic indicators. Counties characterized by persistent poverty (odds ratio=0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.53-0.91) or low educational status (odds ratio=0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.52-0.84) were less likely to implement projects. Three key policy recommendations for improving public health outcomes are drawn from this research: Improved data tracking, more explicit linkages between transportation projects and public health, and improved planning assistance to underserved communities are all seen as essential steps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Society Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. acradock@hsph.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Angie L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cradock
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Troped
authors.forename: Billy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Melly
authors.forename: Shannon V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Simms
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gimmler
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D001642:Bicycling / Q000191:economics* / Q000502:physiology; D002202:Capital Financing / Q000191:economics*; D004779:Environment Design / Q000191:economics; D006078:Government Programs / Q000191:economics*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D016730:Program Development; D014481:United States; D016138:Walking / Q000191:economics* / Q000502:physiology