Starting down a NEWPATH

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Starting down a NEWPATH Nutrition, Environment
in Waterloo Region, Physical Activity,
Transportation and Health
Andrew Devlin, University of British
Columbia Leia Minaker, University of Alberta
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Outline

• Links between travel, built environment, and
  health and health behaviour outcomes.
• Description of the NEWPATH project.
• Perspectives on interdisciplinary project
  development.
• Recommendations for various stakeholder groups on
  how to increase collaboration between departments
  and disciplines.

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Links between Built Environment, Travel Choices,
and Health


ENERGY BALANCE
ENERGY OUT
ENERGY IN
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Some Unique Questions

• Do differences in the local built and food
  environment where people live predict their
  levels of physical activity? Diet? Obesity?
• What are the relative effects of physical
  activity vs. diet in explaining obesity rates
  across demographic groups and built environment
  types?
• Does proximity to different types of food outlets
  influence food purchasing patterns?

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Elements of
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Survey Data
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Physical Activity
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Food Behaviour
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Walkability Surface
1-kilometer network buffer along pedestrian
network (i.e. road, sidewalks, pathways)
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Walkability Surface
Street Connectivity number of intersections per
square kilometer
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Walkability Surface

• Retail Density
• Ratio of retail building floor area to area of
  retail parcel, Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
• Residential Density
• Net Residential Units per Acre

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Walkability Surface

• Land Use Mix
• Entropy index describing the mix of land uses,
  based on 5 categories
• Single-family residential
• Multi-family residential
• Entertainment
• Retail
• Office

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Walkability Surface
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Low Walkability
High Walkability
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Conceptual Framework
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The Research Team
Dr. Larry Frank (P.I.) Bombardier Chair in
Sustainable Transportation, UBC
Dr. Kim Raine Professor, Centre for
Health Promotion Studies, University of Alberta
Dr. Mary Thompson Co-Director, Survey Research
Centre, University of Waterloo
Dr. Roy Cameron Executive Director, Centre for
Behavioural Research And Program Evaluation
(CBRPE)
Pat Fisher Public Health Planner, Region of
Waterloo

• Research Associates
• Leia Minaker, University of Alberta
• Andrew Devlin, UBC

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The Partnership Beginnings

• The project is the result of collaboration
  between municipal staff and academics
• Development of Regional Growth Management
  Strategy by Waterloo Region
• Staff asked to identify and develop research
  projects related to health and the built
  environment
• One project assessed subjective walkability and
  physical activity

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The Partnership Beginnings

• Municipal staff contacted the Principal
  Investigator to develop a walkability index
• The NEWPATH project evolved and developed with
  substantial input from both the Region and
  academics
• Municipal public health staff encouraged to work
  collaboratively with colleagues in other
  departments to create implementation strategy
• Push from funders and academic institutions to
  increase inter/multi/trans-disciplinary research

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Collaboration

• Collaboration between municipal staff increases
  buy-in among Regional stakeholders
• Collaboration between researchers increases
  applicability of findings to an increased number
  of academic disciplines

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Recommendations

• For practitioners
• Develop relationships with local academic
  communities
• Be involved in every stage of the research, from
  the proposal through data collection to the
  analyses and knowledge transfer strategies

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Recommendations

• For academics
• Seek opportunities to partner with municipal or
  provincial government departments or agencies to
  increase knowledge transfer
• the exchange, synthesis and ethically-sound
  application of knowledge - within a complex
  system of interactions among researchers and
  users - to accelerate the capture of the benefits
  of research for Canadians through improved
  health, more effective services and products, and
  a strengthened health care system (CIHR, 2004)

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Recommendations

• For funders
• Continue to require community partners for
  academic research.
• Identify common interests between academics and
  municipalities

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Recommendations

• To increase public support for walkable
  communities
• Increase public education about benefits of
  walkable communities
• Improved health behaviours (e.g., physical
  activity)
• Improved health outcomes (e.g., lower obesity
  rates)
• Improved air quality (e.g., lower vehicle
  emissions)
• Increase access to walkable communities

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Knowledge Transfer

• Within Waterloo Region
• Findings can assist in creating tools and models
  to evaluate potential health impacts associated
  with future development scenarios.
• Within Scientific Community
• Methodology advancement increased knowledge
  base.
• To National Audience
• Partner with Smart Growth, Land Development, and
  Transportation/TDM sectors to generalize and
  disseminate findings to other areas across
  Canada.
• Website
• http//www.act-trans.ubc.ca/

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Community Expertise
Data
Needs
Effective Knowledge Transfer
Synergy
Methodological Expertise
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Follow
at
www.act-trans.ubc.ca
Research
Funding and Sponsors