title: Effect of neighbourhood motorization rates on walking levels.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Motorized traffic may discourage people walking. This study analyses the influence of motorization on pedestrian mobility in the neighbourhoods of a European city, controlling for environmental, sociodemographic, mobility and road safety characteristics of the neighbourhood in which each trip was made.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional ecological study using the 38 neighbourhoods of Barcelona as the unit of analysis. Mobility information was obtained from the 2006 Daily Mobility Survey. Walking rates were calculated for 32.343 men and women who made walking trips, per 1000 men and women who made trips in the 38 neighbourhoods. Data were aggregated to calculate the total number of motorized trips made in each neighbourhood. β coefficients and their confidence intervals were calculated using Poisson regression, in order to study the relationship between walking and motorization, in the different tertiles of motorization and adjusting for contextual factors and their corresponding interactions with motorization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of motorization in the neighbourhood negatively influence walking, even when environmental variables of the neighbourhood are considered. In men we observe a gradient whereby walking rates fall as motorization rises (β = -0.248; P < 0.001 and β = -0.363; P < 0.001 in the second and third quartiles of motorization, respectively). In the case of women we find that only high levels of motorization have a negative influence on the rates of women who walk. (β = -0.256; P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Motorized traffic discourages people walking. Motorization is a modifiable environment-related factor which should be taken into account when designing policies to promote safe active travel.
authors.affiliation: 1 Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Institute of Biomedical Research (IIB Sant Pau), Plaça Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, Spain molabarr@aspb.cat.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olabarria
authors.affiliation: 2 Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Institute of Biomedical Research (IIB Sant Pau), Plaça Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: 2 Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Institute of Biomedical Research (IIB Sant Pau), Plaça Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santamariña-Rubio
authors.affiliation: 1 Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Institute of Biomedical Research (IIB Sant Pau), Plaça Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Novoa
authors.affiliation: 3 European Environment and Health Governance and Multisectoral Partnership., World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Racioppi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*