223354 Federal Surface Transportation Bill: An opportunity to support physical activity and healthy communities

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 12:30 PM - 12:48 PM

Sandra R. Viera, BA , Prevention Institute, Oakland, CA
Jeremy Cantor, MPH , Prevention Institute, Oakland, CA
Janani Srikantharajah, BA , Prevention Institute, Oakland, CA
Larry Cohen, MSW , Prevention Institute, Oakland, CA
Transportation is not just about mobility, it is about building healthy, equitable and economically viable communities. While many health professionals are tasked with achieving individual and population health, the vast majority are not actively involved in the very policies that drive these outcomes, such as those that give rise to transportation patterns. With the upcoming authorization of a new multi-year, billion dollar federal transportation bill comes the opportunity to turn the tide on this trend. This session will introduce a set of papers commissioned by the national Convergence Partnership, a collaborative of funders seeking to achieve the goal of healthy people in healthy places by improving food and activity environments. These papers, compiled in the book, Healthy, Equitable Transportation Policy, explore the breadth of research on health and equity impacts from transportation policies and practices, and highlight community based strategies that support health and equity by improving safety for all travelers, increasing options for walking and bicycling, and creating opportunity through access to key community resources. Research and strategies that will be presented will focus on ways to support regular physical activity in people's daily lives but will also be presented as elements of a larger agenda for health and equity in transportation policy, which will be outlined. The session will highlight opportunities to advance these strategies through the authorization of a new federal transportation bill, and identify levers for public health engagement. This session will also explore strategic partners that health professionals can engage to advance these strategies.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session, participants will: 1. Describe the health and equity impacts of transportation patterns. 2. List 3-5 transportation policies that can be supported through the federal surface transportation bill to improve health and equity outcomes. 3. Identify 3-5 partners within various health disciplines and across sectors that can be engaged to advance a transportation agenda that supports good health and equity.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As founder and Executive Director of Prevention Institute, I am qualified to present because I have led many successful public health efforts, with an emphasis on health equity, at the local, state and federal level on injury and violence prevention, mental health, traffic safety, and food an physical activity-related chronic disease prevention. Also, I co-authored the report, "A Time of Opportunity: Local Solutions to Reduce Inequities in Health and Safety" for the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Disparities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.