Citation

Omura JD, Ussery EN, Carlson SA, Arnold-Lewis K, Orr J, McGuire DO, Lewis L, Paul P, Peterson EL, Fulton JE, Ellis EM. Am. J. Public Health 2018; 108(8): 1055-1058.

Affiliation

John D. Omura, Emily N. Ussery, Susan A. Carlson, Dana Olzenak McGuire, Prabasaj Paul, Erin L. Peterson, and Janet E. Fulton are with the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Kathleen Arnold-Lewis, John Orr, and Esther M. Ellis are with the US Virgin Islands Department of Health, Christiansted, US Virgin Islands. Lillianne Lewis is with the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2018.304449

PMID

29927647

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of community and street-scale design features that promote walking across the US Virgin Islands (USVI).

METHODS: In May 2016, the USVI Department of Health, with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted a territory-wide audit with a validated tool. We selected street segments (n = 1114) via a 2-stage sampling method, and estimates were weighted to be representative of publicly accessible street length.

RESULTS: Overall, 10.7% of the street length contained a transit stop, 11.3% had sidewalks, 21.7% had at least 1 destination (e.g., stores, restaurants), 27.4% had a traffic calming feature (e.g., speed humps), and 53.2% had at least some street lighting. Several features were less prevalent on residential streets compared with commercial streets, including transit stops, sidewalks, destinations, and street lighting (P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS: Across the USVI, community and street-scale features supportive of walking were uncommon. Improving community and street-scale design in the USVI, particularly in residential areas, could increase physical activity by enhancing walkability and therefore improve public health. These data can be used to inform community planning in the USVI. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print June 21, 2018: e1-e4. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304449).

Language: en