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 1ACT Canada 2009 TDM Summit | Toronto ON | 15 November 2009

Outline 2 1)Links between travel, built environment, and health and health behaviour outcomes. 1)Description of the NEWPATH project. 2)Perspectives on interdisciplinary project development. 3)Recommendations for various stakeholder groups on how to increase collaboration between departments and disciplines.

Links between Built Environment, Travel Choices, and Health 3 = + ENERGY OUTENERGY IN ENERGY BALANCE

Some Unique Questions 4 1.Do differences in the local built and food environment where people live predict their levels of physical activity? Diet? Obesity? 2.What are the relative effects of physical activity vs. diet in explaining obesity rates across demographic groups and built environment types? 3.Does proximity to different types of food outlets influence food purchasing patterns?

5 Elements of

6 Survey Data Simple Survey (n = 1,400 households)Complex Survey (n = 1,000 households) Two day travel/activity patterns Physical activity (self-reported) Food behaviour Residential preferences Neighbourhood perceptual data Socio-demographics (incl. height/weight to calculate BMI) Two day travel/activity patterns Physical activity (objectively measured w/ accelerometers) Dietary intake Food behaviour Residential preferences Neighbourhood perceptual data Socio-demographics (incl. height/weight to calculate BMI)

7 Physical Activity

8 Food Behaviour

9 Walkability Surface 1-kilometer network buffer along pedestrian network (i.e. road, sidewalks, pathways)

10 Walkability Surface Street Connectivity : number of intersections per square kilometer

11 Walkability Surface FAR 0.5 Retail Density: Ratio of retail building floor area to area of retail parcel, Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Residential Density: Net Residential Units per Acre

12 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

13 Walkability Surface

14 Low Walkability High Walkability

15 Conceptual Framework

16 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

17 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 The Partnership: Beginnings

18 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 The Partnership: Beginnings

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

20 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 Recommendations

21 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) Recommendations

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

23 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 Recommendations

24 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 Knowledge Transfer

25 Data Community Expertise Needs Methodological Expertise Synergy Effective Knowledge Transfer

Followat ResearchFunding and Sponsors 26