Leveraging transportation investments to advance public health: Global evidence review and recent experiences in cities of the Americas and Europe

Substantial evidence from multiple disciplines informs us that investments and choices in the transportation sector have profound effects on the level of physical activity, morbidity and mortality from chronic disease, and unintentional injuries and fatalities. The avoidable health burden of the system is further associated with significant economic costs. According to the recent WHO "Health in the Green Economy" study, infrastructure investments that shift transportation mode to walking, cycling and public transport provide health benefits that are more holistic and of a greater magnitude than improvements in vehicle technologies. These investments also can advance social and health equity for vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, women, and lower-income households. Integrating measures of health performance into transportation planning and design processes, as well as health impact assessment, are two ways to leverage the activities and expenditures in the transportation sector on behalf of population health. This presentation identifies key domains and measures for integrating health performance indicators into transportation sector and illustrates examples of their application in local and regional transportation planning and policy making. We identify opportunities and needs for more integrated health and transportation sector coordination and collaboration.

While evidence on the health impacts of the transportation sector is substantial and evidence-based, the understanding of this knowledge by health professionals, and the translation of this knowledge into transportation sector policies, is much more limited. Currently, there are few established models of practice that allow public health professionals to use public health knowledge to inform and shape transportation policy, planning and practice.