Citation

Fan JX, Wen M, Kowaleski-Jones L. Health Place 2014; 30C: 242-250.

Affiliation

Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, 225 S 1400 E AEB 228, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0080, United States. Electronic address: lk2700@fcs.utah.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.09.014

PMID

25460907

Abstract

We conduct a cross-sectional ecological analysis to examine environmental correlates of active commuting in 39,660 urban tracts using data from the 2010 Census, 2007-2011 American Community Survey, and other sources. The five-year average (2007-2011) prevalence is 3.05% for walking, 0.63% for biking, and 7.28% for public transportation to work, with higher prevalence for all modes in lower-income tracts. Environmental factors account for more variances in public transportation to work but economic and demographic factors account for more variances in walking and biking to work. Population density, median housing age, street connectivity, tree canopy, distance to parks, air quality, and county sprawl index are associated with active commuting, but the association can vary in size and direction for different transportation mode and for higher-income and lower-income tracts.

Language: en