A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on a Proposed Road Diet and Re-Striping Project In Spartanburg, SC

Transcription

1 A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on a Proposed Road Diet and Re-Striping Project In Spartanburg, SC Association for Commuter Transportation Annual Meeting July 31, 2012 Maya Pack, MS, MPA

2 Health in All Policies A sweeping goal that aims to help decision makers understand the links between policies and interventions, health determinants, and the resulting health outcomes in a wide range of focus areas. Source: American Public Health Association

3 HIA Defined A Health Impact Assessment is a combination of procedures, methods, and tools that systematically judges the potential, and sometimes unintended, effects of a policy, plan, or project on the health of a population and the distribution of those effects within the population.

4 Steps of an HIA 1. Screening 2. Scoping 3. Assessment 4. Develop Recommendations 5. Reporting 6. Monitoring & Evaluation

5 Labor and Employment 5% Physical Activity 1% Economic Policy 1% Natural Resources and Energy 13% Climate Change 1% Agriculture Education and Food 5% 7% Transportation 20% Gambling 1% Housing 9% HIAs by Sector Built environment 37%

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8 Federal HIAs: 2

9 Spartanburg Project Proposed Road Diet and Re-Striping of major thoroughfare in Spartanburg, SC Roads in South Carolina managed by state Department of Transportation Local transportation planners identified this project as a priority

10 Partners South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (SC DHEC) South Carolina Institute of Medicine & Public Health (IMPH) Spartanburg Area Transportation Study (SPATS) Partners for Active Living (PAL) Berkeley/Charleston/Dorchester Council of Governments (BCD COG)

11 HIA Core Values 1. Democracy 2. Equity 3. Sustainable Development 4. Ethical Use of Evidence 5. Holistic Approach to Health Source: The International Association of Impact Assessment (Quigley 2006)

12 A Vulnerable Population Average household income: SC: $37,082 Spartanburg County:$37,579 zip code 29303: $28,343 zip code 29306: $22,672 Percent of families living below poverty level: SC: 10.7% Spartanburg County: 9.2% zip code 29303: 13.3% zip code 29306: 25.3%

13 ROAD DIET SECTION BIKE LANE RESTRIPE SECTION

14 Proposed Road Diet Section Example before Example after

15 Road Diet Cross Section

16 Proposed Re-Stripe Section Look at that wide outside lane! Example after Example before

17 Potential health determinants examined: traffic safety physical activity access to goods and services air quality

18 Traffic Safety: Causal pathway Safe Bicycle and Pedestrian Paths Reconfiguration of Lanes Reduction in Motor Vehicles Reduction in Speed of Motor Vehicles Decrease in Motor Vehicle Collisions Decrease in Injury and Deaths Due to Motor Vehicle Collisions

19 Traffic Safety: Data collected Average Annual Daily Traffic Count Bicycle Level of Service Speed Collisions

20 Physical Activity: Causal pathway Safe Bike and Pedestrian Paths Increased Opportunity for Physical Activity Decrease in Obesity/Overweight Decrease in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, cancer, etc.

21 Physical Activity: Data collected Number of bikes on nearby bicycle racks Number and trend of users of PAL s bicycle lending program Number of bicyclists and pedestrians on DMA Time that area residents spent biking and walking

22 Access to Goods & Services: Causal pathway Safe Bike and Pedestrian Pathways Increased access to: parks, trails, grocery stores, farmer s markets Increased Opportunity for Physical Activity on Trails and in Parks Increased Access to Healthy Foods Decrease in Obesity/Overweight Decrease in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer

23 Access to Goods & Services: Data collected Number and location of healthy food and services locations Number and location of connections including transit stops Transit ridership

24 Air Quality: Causal pathway Safe Bike and Pedestrian Paths Reduction in Motor Vehicles Decrease in Air Pollution Decrease in Rates of Asthma and Other Respiratory Illnesses

25 Air Quality: Data collected Days ozone is above level of the standard Hospital visits with asthma as primary diagnosis (emergency department visits and inpatient visits by zip code) Cough, Cough!

26 HIA Recommendations Road Diet Section Re-stripe Section Expand and marketing of bicycle lending program Provide ample signs to remind motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists about road rules/safety Establish a cycling safety class

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