Health Environmental Modification Proposal

Currently the extent and degree of walking in an environment or community is determined by the surrounding environment. What this means is that depending on the state of the built environment, people will either walk more or less. Having nearby access to parks, gyms, recreational equipment, etc.… will encourage individuals to walk more frequently for entertainment and health. Local business with nearby access such as places of employment, grocery stores, farmer’s markets, etc.… encourages individuals to walk more often for more practical reasons. However, these things alone don’t promote walking in and of itself. The availability of sidewalks to each of these locations directly correlates to the amount of pedestrians there are in a neighborhood. (McCormack, G. R., Shiell, A., Giles-Corti, B., Begg, S., Veerman, L., Geelhoed, E., . . . Emery, J. H., 2012) With the addition of sidewalks of an appropriate width and with adequate lighting and safety features in place, pedestrians tend to feel much safer and are more likely to engage in physical activity more often throughout the day. Thus, the management of existing sidewalks is very important. When a sidewalk deteriorates it not only reflects poorly on the local community, but it also creates a safety concern for all individuals and especially for senior citizens with mobility impairments. (Brebbia, 2017) Within Nacogdoches, the majority of the sidewalks that exist are located in close proximity to the Stephen F. Austin (SFA) campus and the surrounding roads. Of these sidewalks, the majority of them are not very wide and most are in poor health including cracks and uneven surfaces. McCormack, et al. found that when the length and health of a sidewalk were increased and improved, there was an increased percent of pedestrians on those sidewalks. (2012) Results showed that for each 10 km (6.2 miles), individuals were walking an additional 5.38 minutes per week with an overall community increase of 5.26 minutes per week. (McCormack, et al., 2012) These findings show direct and clear evidence that the availability of sidewalks leads to an increase in pedestrians not only at the individual level but also saw increases at the community level as well.

Safety and health both have direct relations to sidewalk construction. In regards to safety, American sidewalk design, especially when compared to other countries in Europe, shows a significant need for improvement. Pucher and Dijkstra found through research that Americans, while out walking on foot, along with cyclists, were injured or killed far more often than those of their Dutch and German counterparts. (2011) This means that each time a pedestrian goes outside, with the current condition of sidewalks and roads, has a much higher chance of being in an accident that is either potentially fatal or cause injuries on a per trip and a per mile basis. (Pucher & Dijkstra, 2011) Walking in the roadways increases the risk of an accident by a significant amount and this is done when either there is no sidewalk available or there is one but it is in disrepair. Irregular maintenance, uneven pavements, sidewalks being too narrow, and in general, dirty and filthy can force a pedestrian into a roadway. (Brebbia, 2017) Brebbia suggests that a Pavement Condition Index (PCI), which is already in use for roads and airport runways, and standardized by the ASTM, should be in place for sidewalk conditions as well. (2017) Regarding health, on an individual level, those who participated in brisk walking showed a decrease in waist and hip circumference, decrease in tension and anxiety, and decrease in triacylglycerol as well as overall cholesterol and finally a decrease in cardiovascular risk. (Murphy, Nevill, Nevill, Biddle, & Hardman, 1970) The participants in the study also saw an increase in high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol). (Murphy, Nevill, Nevill, Biddle, & Hardman, 1970) These results suggest that spending on average 10 minutes per day walking will contribute to overall better health both mentally and physically. (Murphy, Nevill, Nevill, Biddle, & Hardman, 1970) As previously mentioned by McCormack, et al., the length of a sidewalk contributes to the number of new pedestrians as well as an increased amount of time spent walking promoting better health. (2012)

A much larger emphasis in America is placed on vehicle mobility as opposed to pedestrians and cyclists when development of roads and sidewalks is taken into consideration. Sidewalks and bike lanes are oftentimes an afterthought if it is considered at all. If the PCI was applied to sidewalk conditions as it is to roadways and airports, the safety of pre-existing sidewalks would increase. (Brebbia, 2017) Whereas the country may not have adopted the PCI yet, Nacogdoches, as part of the Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful program, would simply implement the PCI into their agenda. Within the community, particularly within the Parks and Recreational department, a small task force would be responsible for maintaining the health of the sidewalks including the immediate surrounding area such as ensuring adequate lighting is in place and operational. To increase availability, extending the walking paths beyond the SFA campus would be a top priority. More cross-roads with wide sidewalks would be added between North street and University Street. These additions would slow down traffic speeds and increase the miles of sidewalk available. Slowing down traffic speeds allows pedestrians to feel more comfortable while they are walking next to busy roadways. As we have discussed previously, increasing the mileage of available sidewalks increases the number of pedestrians and time spent on the sidewalks. Additionally, these changes will help those individuals with lower socioeconomic status to be able to be more mobile within the community. With this, the amount of public transportation offered by Nacogdoches could be reduced, thus saving the city money that in turn would go into sidewalk construction and then eventually spent on maintenance and upkeep. This increase of walking will promote individual health as well as overall community health.

References

Brebbia, C. A. (2017). Management of sidewalk maintenance to improve walking comfort for senior citizens. Urban Transport XXIII, 176(1), 195-206.

Lee, I., & Buchner, D. (2008, July). The importance of walking to public health. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 40(7), 512-518.

McCormack, G. R., Shiell, A., Giles-Corti, B., Begg, S., Veerman, L., Geelhoed, E., . . . Emery, J. H. (2012, August 01). The association between sidewalk length and walking for different purposes in established neighborhoods. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 9(1), 1-12.

Murphy, M., Nevill, A., Nevill, C., Biddle, S., & Hardman, A. (1970, January 01). Accumulating brisk walking for fitness, cardiovascular risk, and psychological health. Wolverhampton Intellectual Repository and E-Theses. 34(9), 1468-1474.

Pucher, J., & Dijkstra, L. (2011, October 10). Promoting safe walking and cycling to improve public health: Lessons from the Netherlands and Germany. American Journal of Public Health. 93(9) 1509-1516.

Sugiyama, T., Leslie, E., Giles-Corti, B., & Owen, N. (2008, May 01). Associations of neighbourhood greenness with physical and mental health: Do walking, social coherence and local social interaction explain the relationships? Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 62(5), 1-6.