This study examines the connection between the built environment and the physical activity levels of the U.S. population. The study was requested by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Committee on Physical Activity, Health, Transportation, and Land Use, consisting of 14 experts from the transportation and public health communities, conducted the study. This report reviews the broad trends affecting the relationships among physical activity, health, transportation, and land use; summarizes what is known about these relationships and what they suggest for future policy decisions at all levels of government; and identifies priorities for future research. Chapter 1 of this report provides an introduction. Chapter 2 provides a more complete discussion of the link between physical activity and health and presents data on the current physical activity levels of the U.S. population. In Chapter 3, historical data that may help explain the apparent long-term decline in total physical activity levels are examined in the areas of technological innovations in the workplace, at home, and in travel; decentralization of population and employment; and time use. Chapter 4 explores the contextual factors that affect physical activity levels--from the individual level; to the social context; to the institutional, regulatory, and political forces that have shaped the built environment in place today--and draws implications for intervention. Chapter 5 is concerned with issues in designing research for studying the relationship between the built environment and physical activity, particularly for examining causal connections, while Chapter 6 critically reviews the empirical research and findings to date. In Chapter 7, the committee provides its own findings, conclusions, and recommendations for policy and future research. (Author/publisher)
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