The built environment and walking: An examination of school transport mode

In order to better understand how the built environment impacts walking behavior, the environmental determinants of school transport mode were examined in this dissertation. Walking to school is an underutilized opportunity for physical activity amongst children in the United States.; First, the conceptual basis for research examining the environmental determinants of school transport mode was established via a literature review. This review found that the most salient determinants of walking to school are the features of the built environment. Based upon this literature review, it was hypothesized that children living in areas with a high population density, centralized regional layout, mixed land use, high street connectivity, and pedestrian facilities would be most likely to walk to school.; Second, a regression model was created to identify the salient environmental determinants of school transport for an urban sample of elementary school students. It was found that the farther students lived from school the less likely they were to walk to school. This finding demonstrates the need for centrally located schools in communities to ensure the greatest number of students possible can walk to school. This analysis supports that urban planning decisions such as school site selection have a significant impact upon walking to school and are thus likely to influence related child health outcomes.; Third, the value of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial statistics for understanding the environmental determinants of walking behavior was examined. It was concluded that research on walking can benefit from greater use of these tools in several ways. First, GIS can facilitate environmental data collection by aiding in the identification of locations to examine in a study area. Second, GIS and spatial statistics can help investigators generate hypotheses about the environmental determinants of walking that may go unnoticed in nonspatial analysis. Third, spatial statistics can improve regression modeling by ensuring models account for spatial dependence.; Ultimately, the research carried out in this dissertation supports the need for public health professionals to ensure communities both prevent toxic exposures and support healthy lifestyle behaviors such as walking in order to improve public health in the 21st century.