Swamp Rabbit Trail Impact Study
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Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit Trail: Year 1 Findings Julian A. Reed, Ed.D., MPH Associate Professor Health Sciences Furman University Greenville, SC 29613 Funding for the following report was provided wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under cooperative agreement XA-95454910-0. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred. Also, the mention of trade names or commercial products does not imply endorsement by the United States Government. i Table of Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... iv Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................v 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 1.1 Active Transportation Using Trails ..........................................................................1 1.1.1 Safe Routes to Schools .................................................................................2 1.2 Economic Impact of Open Space and Recreational Trails ........................................ 2 1.3 Trails and Health .......................................................................................................3 1.3.1 Sedentary Living: A National Problem ........................................................4 1.3.2 Recommendations for Physical Activity by Age Group ..............................5 1.3.3 Health in South Carolina: Adults and Youth ...............................................5 1.3.4 Health in Greenville: Adults and Youth .......................................................6 2 Evaluation Methods for Active Transportation Usage, Economic Impacts, and Usage Characteristics of the GHS SRT ...............................................................................7 3 GHS SRT Intercept Survey Results for Year 1.............................................................8 3.1 GHS SRT Active Transportation Findings ..............................................................11 3.2 Proximity to Residence and GHS SRT ...................................................................12 4 Direct Observation of the GHS SRT ............................................................................14 4.1 Observer Preparations for Direct Observation the GHS SRT ...................................14 4.2 Direct Observation Procedures for the GHS SRT .....................................................14 4.3 Direct Observation Results for the GHS SRT .........................................................14 4.3.1 Overview of Demographic Trail Findings .................................................14 4.3.2 GHS SRT Use for Age by Gender .............................................................15 4.3.3 GHS SRT Use by Activity Intensity ..........................................................16 4.3.4 GHS SRT Use by Ethnicity and the Role of Awareness & Accessibility ..17 4.3.5 GHS SRT Use by Socio Economic Status .................................................18 4.3.6 GHS SRT Use by Time of Day ..................................................................19 4.3.7 GHS SRT Use by Seasonality ....................................................................20 4.3.8 GHS SRT Use by Temperature ..................................................................20 4.3.9 GHS SRT Use and Day of Week ...............................................................21 4.3.10 Helmet Use and Cycling Injuries ...............................................................22 4.4 Demographics and Use at Selected Access Points ..................................................23 4.4.1 Gender ........................................................................................................23 4.4.2 Age .............................................................................................................23 4.4.3 Ethnicity .....................................................................................................24 4.4.4 Activity Type ..............................................................................................24 4.4.5 Comparison to Census Data .......................................................................25 ii 5 Random Digit Dial (RDD) Results for Year 1 .............................................................28 5.1 Participants ..............................................................................................................28 5.2 Purpose of RDD ......................................................................................................28 5.3 Awareness of Trails and Promoting Trail Use ........................................................29 5.4 Evaluation of Proximity ..........................................................................................29 6 GHS SRT Focus Group Findings .................................................................................33 6.1 Participant Description ............................................................................................33 6.2 Focus Group Questions and Selected Responses ....................................................33 7 Interviews of Business Owners/Managers on GHS SRT............................................36 7.1 Questions on Any Impact on Business ....................................................................36 7.2 Questions Regarding Employee Utilization of Trail ...............................................37 8 Conclusions and Implications for the GHS SRT (Year 1) .........................................38 9 References .......................................................................................................................39 iii List of Tables Table 1. Frequency and Percent of Most Frequently Cited INCERCEPT Survey Response(s) for Year 1.........................................................................................9 Table 2. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Transportation Users...............................11 Table 3. Average Distance from Place of Residence and Preferred GHS SRT Access Point .......................................................................................................12 Table 4. Demographics of GHS SRT Trail Users for Gender, Age and Ethnicity ..........15 Table 5. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users for Age by Gender ........................15 Table 6. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users for Activity Intensity by Gender ...17 Table 7. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT for Gender by Ethnicity ..........................18 Table 8. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users for Time Period by Gender ...........19 Table 9. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users for Seasonality by Gender ............20 Table 10. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users for Changes in Temperature by Gender ...........................................................................................................21 Table 11. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users for Day of Week by Gender .........21 Table 12. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users by Helmet Use for Gender ...........22 Table 13. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users at Access Points by Gender ..........23 Table 14. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users at Access Points by Age ...............23 Table 15. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users at Access Points by Ethnicity .......24 Table 16. Frequency and Percent of GHS SRT Users at Access Points by Activity Intensity ...............................................................................................25 Table 17. RDD Survey Questions & Response(s) for GHS SRT Non-Users ....................28 Table 18. Average Distance to GHS SRT from Residence for Users and Non-Users from the RDD .................................................................29 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Percent of GHS SRT Users for Gender ........................................................... vi Figure 2. Percent of GHS SRT Users for Age ................................................................ vi Figure 3. Percent of GHS SRT Users for Ethnicity ........................................................ vi Figure 4. GHS SRT Access Points and Trail User Residences .......................................13 Figure 5. Demographics of GHS SRT Users ..................................................................15 Figure 6. Percent of GHS SRT Users by Age and Gender..............................................16 Figure 7. Percent of GHS SRT Trail Users for Activity Intensity by Gender ................17 Figure 8. Percent of GHS SRT Trail Users for Gender and Ethnicity ............................18 Figure 9. Percent of GHS SRT Users for Time Period by Gender .................................19 Figure 10. Percent of GHS SRT Users for Seasonality by Gender ...................................20 Figure 11. GHS SRT Direct Observation Results .............................................................26 Figure 12. Users and Non-Users of GHS SRT and Place of Residence ...........................31 Figure 13. Non-GHS SRT User Reasons and Place of Residence ....................................32 v Executive Summary Overweight and obesity rates in the United States over the past decade