01587797

Component

In order to expand on the limited literature on rural active travel, this study conducted a transportation-health survey in three rural towns in Montana to identify factors influencing travel decisions and to assess the effects of active travel on Body Mass Index (BMI). Using BMI as the main health indicator, in addition to attitude variables, this research identified the underlying trends relating the built environment (BE), active transportation, and health. The rural towns studied exhibited relatively strong support for new bike/walk infrastructure and bike/walk facility improvements, and providing active transportation networks contributed to a higher adoption rate of non-motorized modes and health (BMI) benefits. No substitution pattern was found between leisure-time physical activity and active travel: people who exercised more tended to undertake more active travel. As safety concerns influenced transportation choices in these communities, facility additions and improvements that make people feel safer would be more effective in increasing active travel. Despite the active travel potential, rural areas do face unique challenges such as long travel distance, and the solutions to promote active travel and healthful living for rural areas may well look quite different than those for urban areas (e.g., flexible fee structure for bike-sharing programs).

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD50 Standing Committee on Environmental Justice in Transportation. Alternate title: Health Impacts of Active Transportation in Rural Communities: Case Study in Ennis, Three Forks, and Townsend, Montana

01584066

16-3829

English

24p

2016

Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Appendices; Figures; References; Tables

Attitudes; Built environment; Case studies; Health; Nonmotorized transportation; Physical condition; Rural areas; Small towns; Social impacts

Ennis (Montana); Three Forks (Montana); Townsend (Montana)

Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2016 Paper #16-3829

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 12 2016 5:40PM