Workplace Neighbourhood Research Articles

Mixed land use has opposite associations with subjective well-being through social capital: Spatial heterogeneity in residential and workplace neighborhoods

Mixed land use (MLU) is recognized as a crucial means for urban planners to facilitate residents’ subjective well-being (SWB). However, prior research has rarely explored the mediating effect of social capital on the MLU-SWB association and has overlooked the possibility that this association may be subject to spatial heterogeneity between residential and workplace neighborhoods. Based on a sample of 1028 survey participants in Shanghai from 2018 to 2019, a structural equation model is used to investigate the associations among MLU, social capital, and SWB in residential and workplace neighborhoods. We find that MLU has a negative and indirect association with SWB by decreasing social capital in residential neighborhoods, while it has a positive and indirect association with SWB by enhancing social capital in workplace neighborhoods with adjustments for other built environmental and sociodemographic attributes. That is, MLU has opposite associations with SWB mediated by social capital. Therefore, policymakers need to adopt different strategies to optimize MLU in residential and workplace neighborhoods to facilitate social capital and SWB.

Integrating built environment and parking policy for car commuting reduction: evidence from Beijing

ABSTRACT Built environment (BE) planning and parking policy are two major strategies for restricting car use. However, researchers usually explore the independent associations of BE and parking policy with the use of the car in commuting, and most earlier studies are limited to investigating the benefits of integrating them. This study adopts a machine learning approach to explore the associations of home and workplace BE features and parking policy with the use of the car in commuting and whether the associations of BE features are moderated by parking policy. Results suggest that workplace BE features have larger collective contributions to the use of the car in commuting than home BE features. All BE features have nonlinear associations with the use of the car in commuting, and the nonlinear patterns differ across home and workplace neighborhoods. Moreover, free parking and parking convenience have significant moderating effects on the connection between BE and the use of the car in commuting. Thus, planning practitioners and policy makers should highlight the importance of coordinating BE planning and policy making to restrict the use of the car in commuting.

Effects of built and natural environments on leisure physical activity in residential and workplace neighborhoods.

Few studies have investigated relative contributions of the built and natural environments to and their nonlinear associations with leisure physical activity (PA) in different spatial contexts. Applying gradient boosting decision tree models to data comprising 1049 adults collected in Shanghai, we investigated the associations between built and natural environments and leisure PA in residential and workplace neighborhoods. Results show that the built environment is more important than the natural environment to leisure PA in both residences and workplaces. Environmental attributes have nonlinear and threshold effects. Within certain ranges, land use mix and population density have opposite associations with leisure PA in residences and workplaces, whereas the distance to the city center and the area of water are associated with leisure PA in residences and workplaces with the same direction. These findings help urban planners design context-specific environmental interventions for supporting leisure PA.

Residential and workplace neighborhood environments and life satisfaction: Exploring chain-mediation effects of activity and place satisfaction

Enhancing people's life satisfaction is the ultimate goal of efforts to build happy cities. Urban planners thus aim to optimize the environment to improve life satisfaction. We use structural equation models to explore the relationship of life satisfaction with perceived environmental elements in residential and workplace neighborhoods mediated by domain satisfaction based on a sample comprising 1058 respondents in Shanghai in 2018. The results suggest that the residential environment contributes more to life satisfaction than the workplace environment does. In residential neighborhoods, perceived environmental quality and social capital are important to life satisfaction, while in workplace neighborhoods, perceived accessibility is the most critical element, followed by perceived environmental quality. Moreover, perceived environmental elements can influence life satisfaction by affecting commute satisfaction and residential neighborhood satisfaction and/or workplace neighborhood satisfaction. These findings suggest that optimizing the environment in both residential and workplace neighborhoods helps improve people's satisfaction with specific domains and overall life.

The association between workplace built environment and metabolic health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Metabolic health is one of the key determinants of healthy living. Specifically, maintaining healthy weight, regulation of blood pressure, lipids and glucose over the life course have been reported to be protective on chronic diseases and premature mortality. With the global workforce spending, on average, one-third of the weekly time budget in the workplace, the role of workplace environment in enhancing metabolic health becomes important. However, there has thus far been no review synthesizing evidence on the links between workplace built environment and metabolic health. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted synthesizing evidence on the associations of built environment attributes measured within the workplace neighbourhood and metabolic health. A total of 16 studies that fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria were identified via systematic search of English language peer-refereed publications up to July 2021, in six databases. A systematic coding system was developed, indicating significant findings in expected/unexpected directions including null findings, and the quality of the pooled study was assessed. The Weighted-Z test method that accounts for the study quality was used to examine the strength of evidence. A quarter of the pooled studies were categorized to be of high quality. Among the workplace built environment attributes of access to/density of recreational facilities, street pattern, access to/density of destinations and services, and land use mix, very strong evidence was found for the association between access to/density of destinations and services and metabolic health (p<0.001); specifically, access to full service establishments such as supermarkets, grocery stores and restaurants (p=0.001). A relatively weak association between proximity to workplace and metabolic health (p=0.019) was also reported. Given the lack of high quality studies, overall confidence in the currently available evidence is 'low'. Well-designed longitudinal studies with rigorous measurements for exposures and outcome variables are necessary.

Household Food Shopping Locations Beyond Residential Neighborhoods: An Exploratory Study Using a GPS-Based Household Survey

Understanding household food shopping locations is important as it could help policymakers develop effective place-based strategies to improve healthy eating and subsequently improve health conditions. Although a growing number of studies have examined food shopping patterns and their associations with food environment around home locations, evidence on food shopping locations relative to areas beyond residential neighborhoods remains scarce. We aimed to explore spatial dimensions of household food shopping locations relative to home, workplaces, and commuting routes. We defined three buffers to delineate potential food shopping geographies for home, workplaces, and commuting routes. We calculated home–grocery distances and work–grocery distances, and the percentage of grocery shopping locations falling inside each of the three aforementioned spatial units, respectively. Our findings suggest that people were more likely to visit food stores beyond immediate residential areas or workplace areas. They often bypassed the closest supermarkets near home or work, whereas they were more likely to shop along their commuting paths. Our findings provide an example of the uncertain geographic context problem in a context of food activities, highlighting that activity space is a more comprehensive measure for assessing food exposures and food shopping activities. Key Words: activity spaces, food shopping locations, healthy food environment, residential neighborhoods, workplace neighborhoods.

Workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes and sitting at work and for transport among Japanese desk-based workers

Workplace settings—both internal and external—can influence how workers are physically active or sedentary. Although research has identified some indoor environmental attributes associated with sitting at work, few studies have examined associations of workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes with workplace sitting time. We examined the cross-sectional associations of perceived and objective workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes with sitting time at work and for transport among desk-based workers in Japan. Data were collected from a nationwide online survey. The Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (n = 2137) and Walk Score® (for a subsample of participants; n = 1163) were used to assess perceived and objective built-environment attributes of workplace neighbourhoods. Self-reported daily average sitting time at work, in cars and in public transport was measured using a Japanese validated questionnaire. Linear regression models estimated the associations of workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes with sitting time. All perceived workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes were positively correlated with Walk Score®. However, statistically significant associations with Walk Score® were found for sitting for transport but not for sitting at work. Workers who perceived their workplace neighbourhoods to be more walkable reported a longer time sitting at work and in public transport but a shorter sitting time in cars. Our findings suggest that walkable workplace neighbourhoods may discourage longer car use but have workplaces where workers spend a long time sitting at work. The latter finding further suggests that there may be missed opportunities for desk-based workers to reduce sitting time. Future workplace interventions to reduce sitting time may be developed, taking advantage of the opportunities to take time away from work in workplace neighbourhoods.

Home and Workplace Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Behavior-related Health: A Within-individual Analysis.

BackgroundThe influence of individual and home neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on health-related behaviors have been widely studied, but the majority of these studies have neglected the possible impact of the workplace neighborhood SES.ObjectiveTo examine within-individual associations between home and work place neighborhood SES and health-related behaviors in employed individuals.MethodsWe used participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health who responded to a minimum of two surveys between 2012 and 2018. Data included 12,932 individuals with a total of 35,332 observations. We used fixed-effects analysis with conditional logistic regression to examine within-individual associations of home, workplace, as well as time-weighted home and workplace neighborhood SES index, with self-reported obesity, physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and disturbed sleep.ResultsAfter adjustment for covariates, participants were more likely to engage in risky alcohol consumption when they worked in a workplace that was located in the highest SES area compared to time when they worked in a workplace that was located in the lowest SES area (adjusted odds ratios 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.12 to 3.49). There was an indication of an increased risk of obesity when individuals worked in the highest compared to the time when they worked in the lowest neighborhood SES area (1.71; 1.02–2.87). No associations were observed for the other outcomes.ConclusionThese within-individual comparisons suggest that workplace neighborhood SES might have a role in health-related behaviors, particularly alcohol consumption.

Home and workplace neighborhood socioeconomic status and behavior-related health: a within-individual analysis

Background: Individuals’ health-related behaviors, important determinants of cardiovascular health, might be affected by social characteristics of residential and workplace neighborhoods. Although the influence of individual and home neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on behavior-related health has been widely studied, majority of the studies have neglected the possible impact of workplace SES. Objective: To investigate associations between home and work neighborhood SES and behavior-related health in employed individuals. Methods: Participants were from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health with response to minimum of two surveys between 2012 and 2018. We had 13163 individuals with complete data on at least one exposure and covariates with total of 36925 observations. Neighborhood SES was determined as an index using mean income, education attainment, and unemployment rate within a 500 m buffer around home and workplace address. We used fixed effects method with conditional logistic regression to investigate longitudinal within-individual associations for home, workplace, and time weighted home and work neighborhood SES with self-reported obesity, physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and sleep problems. Age, marital status, occupational position, presence of children, chronic disease, depressive symptoms, and work strain were covariates.Results: Workers were more likely to consume alcohol excessively when their workplace was located in the highest SES area compared to time when their workplace was located in the lowest SES area (adjusted OR 1.98; 95% CI,1.12-3.49). Contrarily, higher SES of the home neighborhood was non-significantly associated with low alcohol consumption. Furthermore, there was an indication of an increased risk of obesity when individuals had their workplace in the highest compared to the lowest neighborhood SES (adjusted OR 1.71;1.02-2.87). No associations were observed for other outcomes.Conclusion: These within-individual comparisons suggest that workplace neighborhood SES may have a role in health-related behaviors, particularly alcohol consumption.

Home and workplace neighborhood SES and behavior-related health: a within-individual analysis

Abstract Background Although the influence of individual and home neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on health-related behaviors has been widely studied, majority of the evidence is from cross-sectional studies. Moreover, studies on associations of workplace SES with health-related behaviors are almost non-existent. Objective To investigate associations between home and work neighborhood SES and behavior-related health in gainfully employed individuals. Methods Participants were from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health with response to minimum two surveys between 2012 and 2018. We had 13163 individuals with complete data on exposure and covariates with total of 36925 observations. Neighborhood SES was determined as an index using mean income, education attainment, and unemployment rate within a 500 m buffer around home and workplace address. We used fixed effects method with conditional logistic regression to investigate longitudinal within-individual associations for home, workplace and their weighted summary neighborhood SES with self-reported obesity, physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and sleep problems. We included age, marital status, individuals' occupational position, presence of children, chronic disease, depressive symptoms, and work strain as covariates. Results The workers were more likely to consume alcohol excessively when their workplace was located in the highest SES area compared to time when their workplace was located in the lowest SES area (adjusted odds ratio 1.98; 95% confidence interval 1.12-3.49). Contrarily, socioeconomic status of home neighborhood was observed to be associated with low alcohol consumption. We observed no associations for other behavior-related health outcomes. Conclusions These within-individual comparisons suggest that having workplace in a high SES area may be favorable for excessive alcohol consumption. Key messages Workplace in a high socioeconomic area may be favorable of excessive alcohol consumption, while such association were not observed for home neighborhood. Consideration of work neighborhood SES along with home neighborhood SES and individual variables can enhance our understanding of the influence of environments on health behaviors.

The association between spatial access to physical activity facilities within home and workplace neighborhoods and time spent on physical activities: evidence from Guangzhou, China

BackgroundUrban residents from the developing world have increasingly adopted a sedentary lifestyle and spend less time on physical activities (PA). Previous studies on the association between PA facilities and individuals’ PA levels are based on the assumption that individuals have opportunities to use PA facilities within neighborhoods all day long, ignoring the fact that their willingness and opportunities to use nearby facilities depend on how much discretionary time (any time when people have a choice what to do) they have. Further, scant attention has been paid to the influence of PA facilities within both residential and workplace neighborhoods in the dense urban context. To address the above research gaps, this study investigated the links between the spatial access to PA facilities within home/workplace neighborhoods and time spent on PA among working adults, focusing on whether results were different when different measures of accessibility were used and whether participants’ discretionary time over a week affected their time spent on PA.MethodThis study used data from a questionnaire survey (n = 1002) in Guangzhou between June and July 2017 and point of interest (POI) data from online mapping resources. Outcome variables included the amount of time spent on physical activity/moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity (PA/MVPA) over the past week. Home/workplace neighborhoods were measured as different distance buffers (500 m circular buffers, 1000 m circular buffers, and 1080 m network buffers) around each respondent’s home/workplace. Spatial access to PA facilities was measured using two indicators: the counts of PA facilities and proximity to PA facilities within home/workplace neighborhoods. The amount of discretionary time was calculated based on activity log data of working day/weekend day from the Guangzhou questionnaire survey, and regression models were used to examine relationships between the spatial access of PA facilities, the time spent on PA/MVPA, and the amount of discretionary time, adjusted for covariates. Associations were stratified by gender, age, education, and income.ResultsUsing different measures of accessibility (the counts of and proximity to PA facilities) generated different results. Specifically, participants spent more time on PA/MVPA when they lived in neighborhoods with more PA facilities and spent more time on MVPA when worked in closer proximity to PA facilities. A larger amount of discretionary time was associated with more time spent on PA/MVPA, but it did not strengthen the relationship between access to PA facilities and PA/MVPA time. In addition, relationships between access to PA facilities and PA levels varied by gender, age, education, and income.ConclusionThis study contributes to the knowledge of PA-promoting environments by considering both the home and workplace contexts and by taking into account the temporal attributes of contextual influences. Policymakers and urban planners are advised to take into account the workplace context and the temporal variability of neighborhood influences when allocating public PA facilities and public spaces.

Influence of Individual and Contextual Perceptions and of Multiple Neighborhoods on Depression.

The risk of depression is related to multiple various determinants. The consideration of multiple neighborhoods daily frequented by individuals has led to increased interest in analyzing socio-territorial inequalities in health. In this context, the main objective of this study was (i) to describe and analyze the spatial distribution of depression and (ii) to investigate the role of the perception of the different frequented spaces in the risk of depression in the overall population and in the population stratified by gender. Data were extracted from the 2010 SIRS (a French acronym for “health, inequalities and social ruptures”) cohort survey. In addition to the classic individual characteristics, the participants reported their residential neighborhoods, their workplace neighborhoods and a third one: a daily frequented neighborhood. A new approach was developed to simultaneously consider the three reported neighborhoods to better quantify the level of neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation. Multiple simple and cross-classified multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. Depression was reported more frequently in low-income (OR = 1.89; CI = [1.07–3.35]) or middle-income (OR = 1.91; CI = [1.09–3.36]) neighborhoods and those with cumulative poverty (OR = 1.64; CI = [1.10–2.45]). In conclusion, a cumulative exposure score, such as the one presented here, may be an appropriate innovative approach to analyzing their effects in the investigation of socio-territorial inequalities in health.

Predicting transport-related cycling in Chinese employees using an integration of perceived physical environment and social cognitive factors

ObjectiveTransport-related cycling can contribute to employees’ increased physical activities in their daily lives, with potential health and environmental benefits. Still, a theoretical understanding of the links between the perceptions of physical environment and transport-related cycling through social cognitive theories is unclear. In addition, there is a lack of understanding on the moderating effects of the perceived physical environment on social cognitive pathways when predicting transport-related cycling. The purpose of this study was to apply the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework to determine (a) whether TPB mediates the effects between the perceived physical environment and transport-related cycling and (b) whether the perceived physical environment moderates TPB-cycling relations. MethodsUsing a prospective design, Chinese employees (N = 193) self-reported their perceived physical environment of their workplace neighborhood (i.e., residential density, land-use diversity, land-use accessibility, street connectivity, infrastructures, aesthetics, traffic-related safety, and crime-related safety), attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavior control (PBC), intention, and duration and frequency of transport-related cycling in the last week. One month later, self-reported cycling for transport was again collected from a subset sample of employees (N = 98). Mediation and moderation structural equation models linking perceived physical environment, TPB constructs, and transport-related cycling were tested. ResultsThe effects from residential density to attitudes and subjective norm, from land-use diversity and street connectivity to subjective norm and PBC, and from aesthetics and crime-related safety to attitudes, were found significant and positive. Attitudes, subjective norm, and PBC predicted intention, in which intention further predicted employee’s future transport-related cycling one month later. Importantly, attitudes, subjective norm, and PBC mediated the relations from land-use diversity and street connectivity to intention, while intention mediated the effect from PBC to employee’s future transport-related cycling. Past behavior showed significant effects on attitudes, subjective norm, PBC, intention, and employee’s future transport-related cycling. The effect from past behavior to intention was mediated by the social cognitive variables of attitudes, subjective norm, and PBC. However, no moderating effects of perceived physical environments on the TPB-cycling relations were found, except the moderating effect of crime-related safety on the path from PBC to cycling. ConclusionCurrent results indicate that Chinese employees’ transport-related cycling are a function of environmental (i.e., perceived physical environmental attributes) and social cognitive (i.e., attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention) factors. Findings of the current study can inform the development of multi-component behavioral change interventions targeting the improvement of transport-related cycling for employees.

Mapping Workplace Neighborhood Mobility Among Sex Workers in an Urban Canadian Setting: Results of a Community-Based Spatial Epidemiological Study From 2010-2016.

Mobility among sex workers has been linked not only to improved economic and social opportunities, but also to concerns regarding displacement, criminalization, and violence. In 2014, new "end-demand" legislation criminalized new aspects of sex work in Canada (e.g., third-party advertising, purchasing) while leaving the sale of sex legal. Utilizing data from a longitudinal community-based cohort of women sex workers in Metro Vancouver (An Evaluation of Sex Workers Health Access [AESHA], 2010-2016), we used kernel density mapping to understand and identify geographic patterns of workplace neighborhood mobility (i.e., changing the primary neighborhood in which one worked in the last 6 months); multivariable logistic regression using generalized estimating equations was also used to model contextual (policing, violence, and safety) and individual correlates of workplace mobility among sex workers over the 6-year period, including potential changes in mobility patterns pre- and post-end-demand criminalization. A total of 543 sex workers were included in analyses, contributing 2,199 observations. A total of 402 (74.0%) experienced workplace neighborhood mobility during the study period. Neighborhood mobility was negatively correlated with age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.98/year older, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.97, 0.99]) and positively correlated with homelessness (AOR = 1.43, 95% CI = [1.12, 1.82]), identifying as a gender/sexual minority (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI = [1.04, 1.70]), and servicing clients primarily outdoors (vs. informal indoor or in-call venues; AOR = 1.48, 95% CI = [1.21, 1.81]); police harassment (AOR = 1.19, 95% CI = [0.96, 1.48], p = .11) and changing one's neighborhood of work due to safety concerns (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI = [0.94, 2.00], p = .09) were both marginally correlated. Steps to promote safer working conditions for marginalized women in urban environments remain urgently needed, including shifts away from criminalized enforcement toward community-led initiatives and promoting access to safer indoor workspaces.

Associations between spatial access to physical activity facilities and frequency of physical activity; how do home and workplace neighbourhoods in West Central Scotland compare?

BackgroundOver a third of the Scottish population do not meet physical activity (PA) recommendations, with a greater proportion of those from disadvantaged areas not meeting recommended levels. There is a great need for detailed understanding of why some people are active while others are not. It has been established that features within home neighbourhoods are important for promoting PA, and although around 60% of time spent in exercise daily is undertaken outside the residential environment, relatively little research includes both home and workplace neighbourhood contexts. This study utilised an existing west central Scotland survey and spatial data on PA facilities to examine whether, for working adults, there are links between access to facilities, within home and workplace neighbourhoods, and frequency of PA, and whether such associations differ by socio-economic group.MethodsUsing a Geographic Information System (GIS), home and workplace postcodes of a sub-sample of ‘Transport, Health and Well-being’ 2010 study respondents (n = 513) were mapped, along with public (i.e. public-sector funded) and private (i.e. private-sector funded) PA facilities (e.g. sports halls, gyms, pools etc.) within 800 m and 1600 m path/street network buffers of home and workplace postcodes. Using Analysis of Variance, associations between spatial access to PA facilities (i.e. facility counts within buffers) and self-reported PA (i.e. days being physically active in past month) were analysed. Models were run separately for access to any, public, private, and home, workplace, and home/workplace facilities. Associations were examined for all respondents, and stratified by age and income deprivation.ResultsRespondents’ PA frequency was associated with spatial access to specific types of facilities near home and near home or workplace (combined). In general, PA frequency was higher where individuals lived/worked in closer proximity to private facilities and frequency lower where individuals lived/worked nearby to public facilities. Results varied by age and income deprivation sub-groups.ConclusionThis research contributes to methods exploring neighbourhood contextual influences on PA behaviour; it goes beyond a focus upon home neighbourhoods and incorporates access to workplace neighbourhood facilities. Results demonstrate the importance of examining both neighbourhood types, and such findings may feed into planning for behaviour-change interventions within both spaces.

Modeling a bivariate residential-workplace neighborhood effect when estimating the effect of proximity to fast-food establishments on body mass index.

Hierarchical modeling is the preferred approach of modeling neighborhood effects. When both residential and workplace neighborhoods are known, a bivariate (residential-workplace) neighborhood random effect that quantifies the extent that a neighborhood's residential and workplace effects are correlated may be modeled. However, standard statistical software for hierarchical models does not easily allow correlations between the random effects of distinct clustering variables to be incorporated. To overcome this challenge, we develop a Bayesian model and an accompanying estimation procedure that allows for correlated bivariate neighborhood effects and allows individuals to reside or work in multiple neighborhoods, cross-sectional and longitudinal heterogeneity between individuals, and serial correlation between repeated observations over time. Simulation studies that vary key model parameters evaluate how well each aspect of the model is identified by the data. We apply the model to the motivating Framingham Heart Study linked food establishment data to examine whether (i) proximity to fast-food establishments is associated with body mass index, (ii) workplace neighborhood exposure associations are larger than those for residential neighborhood exposure, and (iii) residential neighborhood exposure associations correlate with workplace neighborhood exposure. Comparisons of the full model to models with restricted versions of the covariance structure illustrate the impact of including each feature of the covariance structure.

How can public transit get people out of their cars? An analysis of transit mode choice for commute trips in Los Angeles

U.S. public transit agencies struggle to attract and retain riders. Unprecedented public investments have been made over the past several decades for expanding and improving transit service across cities. Unfortunately, however, there is no evidence of increase in ridership once growth in population and aggregate travel demand are accounted for. Consequently, the quest for boosting patronage continues. The challenge, experts argue, is to attract people out of cars.In this paper, I use a recent state-wide travel survey from California and take advantage of a new comprehensive historical archive of regional real-time multi-modal transportation system data to explore contexts in which persons belonging to car-owning households within Los Angeles County use transit for their commute.I find that few car owners use transit, and that lack of access to the household vehicle(s) explain choice of transit to a large extent. While discretionary transit use (or transit use by choice) is rare, I find evidence that fast (relative to car), frequent and reliable transit service along with fewer transfer requirements strongly correlate with car-owners’ transit mode choice. Home and workplace neighborhood density, proximity to transit stop, and availability of rail are other critical facilitators. Even if observed effects are due, in part, to self-selection, there are important lessons for transit planners. For example, results suggest that all else equal: reduction in transit-to-auto travel time ratio by unity can increase odds of transit mode choice by about 25%; reduction in headway by 10min can increase the odds by about 30%, and; lowering the standard deviation of schedule deviation from over to under three minutes can result in 2.6 times increase in the odds.This paper identifies effective strategies for increasing transit's competitiveness relative to auto, and hence attracting people out of their cars. While rail network expansion programs and transit-oriented development efforts must continue across U.S. cities, it is important that planners also advocate for investments in key dimensions of bus service quality that patrons value, such as speed, frequency and reliability. Efficient network designs that reduce transfer requirements, introduction of bus rapid transit services, and improvements in real-time operations, scheduling and long-range planning by using ITS (intelligent transportation systems) infrastructures across modes are critical. This study shows that careful planning can promote discretionary transit use by attracting existing latent demand and by creating new demand in an era of increasing government interest in transit and growing traffic congestion. Broader positive effects on the travelling public and the environment are much greater than what this study can predict.

Exploring associations between perceived home and work neighborhood environments, diet behaviors, and obesity: Results from a survey of employed adults in Missouri.

Dietary behaviors are associated with obesity, and may be influenced by the environment. The objective of the current work was to investigate whether perceptions of built environment factors related to eating in the residential neighborhood will have different, independent associations with BMI and dietary behaviors than perceived built environment factors in the worksite neighborhood. In 2012–2013, a cross-sectional telephone-survey of Missouri adults (n = 2015) assessed perceptions of home and workplace built environment factors related to eating, dietary behaviors, and height and weight. Logistic regression models explored associations between perceived neighborhood built environment variables, diet, and obesity. The only variable associated with any of the outcomes explored in the fully adjusted models was the home neighborhood composite scale. None of the work environment variables were significantly associated with any of the health/behavior outcomes after adjustment. Few associations were found after adjustment for personal and job-related characteristics, and none were identified with the workplace neighborhood environment. While few home environment associations were found after adjustment, and none were identified with the perceived workplace neighborhood environment, the current study adds to the limited literature looking at associations between the perceived neighborhood around the workplace neighborhood and the perceived neighborhood around the home and dietary behaviors and obesity in adults. Future studies are needed to determine whether relationships between these environments and behavior exist, and if so, if they are causal and warrant intervention attempts.

Are perceptions of the environment in the workplace ‘neighbourhood’ associated with commuter walking?

Walking for the daily commute is one potential strategy for increasing physical activity levels. Understanding the behaviour-specific environmental correlates associated with commuter walking will help effective interventions to be identified and developed. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of perceptions of the environment in the workplace ‘neighbourhood’ and commuter walking. Participants in the baseline survey of the Walking Works intervention study reported perceptions of ten environmental attributes in their workplace neighbourhood, availability of public transport, time spent walking to and from work in the last seven days, their participation in physical activity and socio-demographic characteristics (n=676). We built a series of multivariate logistic regression models to examine associations between each environmental item, public transport availability and commuter walking. Half (52%) of respondents were classified as commuter walkers (n=352) (66% female; 47% aged <30 years). Respondents were significantly more likely to walk for their daily commute if they reported there to be convenient walking routes (OR (odds ratio) 2.05, 95% CI (confidence interval) 1.23–3.42), suitable pavements (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.23–4.04), maintained pavements (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.02–2.62) or convenient public transport (OR 4.98, 95% CI 3.34–7.44) after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, free car parking at work and distance lived from work. Creating ‘pedestrian friendly’ environments in workplace surroundings may be important for encouraging walking for the daily commute to work. Such environments would include convenient routes, suitable and maintained pedestrian infrastructure and convenient access to public transport. Improving and maintaining the walking environment around existing workplaces and ensuring infrastructure around new workplaces is designed to support commuter walking should be considered a priority area for investment.

Health-Promoting Home and Workplace Neighborhoods: Associations With Multiple Facets of Men's Health.

Despite the importance of healthy settings for health promotion, little is known about how neighborhood characteristics affect men's health. The present study aims to explore the associations between perceptions of home and workplace neighborhoods with diverse health outcomes, and to examine mediating mechanisms. A sample of 669 men members of labor unions in Quebec, Canada, completed a questionnaire assessing social and physical aspects of their work and home neighborhoods (the Health-Promoting Neighborhood Questionnaire) as well as subjective and objective health outcomes (perceived health, positive mental health, body mass index) and potential mediators (health behaviors, self-efficacy). Structural equation modeling (path analysis) revealed that the Health-Promoting Neighborhood Questionnaire was associated with all three health outcomes, either directly or indirectly through health behaviors and self-efficacy. Both home and workplace neighborhoods were associated with men's health, home neighborhood being more strongly associated. The findings suggest that physical and social aspects of neighborhood might contribute to men's health. The study highlights positive environmental levers for urban planners, policy makers, and health professionals to promote men's health.