265398 Assessing safe active transportation for youth of color in California

Monday, October 29, 2012

Anna Clayton, MPH, BA , Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco
Molly Baldridge, MPH, BS, CHES , Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Ritem Sandhu, MPH , Health Education, California State University San Francisco, Daly City, CA
David Pheng, Community Health Adovcate , Youth Program, Asian Health Services, Oakland, CA
Background: Using modes of Active Transportation (AT) regularly, such as walking and biking, can greatly reduce an individual's risk for obesity. Youth of color, ages 12-18 years old, are not only disproportionately impacted by obesity, with 34% overweight or obese in California compared to 12% of their white peers, but are less likely to use AT as well. Furthermore, little research has been done to determine what the barriers and supports to AT are for this population. Methods: Eleven in-depth interviews with content experts and four focus groups with 22 youth leaders ages 13-18, were conducted in Fresno and Oakland, California. Focus groups employed creative activities such as illustrating pictures of their neighborhoods and taking photos of their neighborhood during a walking tour to convey barriers and supports to safe AT. Findings: Youth participants in both cities named violence and the lack of proper street infrastructure, such as suitable sidewalks, bike lanes and signage, as the biggest barriers to safe AT. In Fresno, youth who use AT face increased exposure to hazards due to traveling distance from the downtown area. In Oakland, youth identified police harassment as a primary barrier. Additionally, stakeholders reported that funding for Public Works is not equally distributed among communities to meet the infrastructural needs of low-income neighborhoods. Conclusions: Additional research on the distribution of Public Works funding. Also, violence prevention efforts and improvements to street infrastructure are recommended to promote and ensure safe AT.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
List barriers to AT for youth of color in Fresno and Oakland, California. List supports to AT for youth of color in Fresno and Oakland, California. Identify additional research needs regarding AT and youth of color throughout the United States.

Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Environmental Justice

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Masters in Public Health Graduate student at SFSU focusing on the built environment's impact on obesity and chronic disease. As a health educator, I have taught nutrition, gardening and physical activity to Elementary aged children. I also hold a BA in Community Studies from UC Santa Cruz where I studied the impact of massive incarceration on communities of color and worked to improve health care in women's prisons.
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.