The problem of physical inactivity is particularly acute in many rural areas where lack of sidewalks/trails, narrow roads with no shoulders and distances to destinations preclude people from walking as an alternative form of transportation. For this and other reasons, West Virginia ranks poorly in commonly cited measures of community health, for example obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Specific case studies are described that illustrate how a transportation engineer has partnered with communities to develop programs and disseminate information that address some of the above noted concerns. Principal activities described include Community Design Teams, Walkable Community Workshops, Health Sciences and Technology Academy clubs in high schools, and the West Virginia WISEWOMAN project. Several transportation engineering “lessons learned” are presented. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E213531.
Samenvatting