Mentor/s
Wendy Bjerke
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Background: The built environment (BE) is the physical, man-made constructs of communities. BE is associated with health and has a strong influence on pedestrian safety. Factors such as presence of sidewalks, crosswalks, and the speed of traffic are all vital in this relationship. Most BE studies assess the walkability of neighborhoods. However, no researchers have assessed the “runability” of environments including college campuses and surrounding areas where students run. Objective: This research compared perceptions of “runability” to variables including gender, weekly mileage and grade using a survey that assessed infrastructure features and the speed of traffic of the roads surrounding Sacred Heart’s campus. Methods: Collegiate runners (n=47) recruited from the Men’s and Women’s D1 Cross Country Teams at Sacred Heart University were assessed using a NEWS-Abbreviated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated and compared for each category; gender, weekly mileage, and grade. Results: Male average score: 2.298 for infrastructure, 2.867 for traffic. Female average score: 2.10 for infrastructure, 2.889 for traffic. Low mileage average score: 1.921 for infrastructure, 2.93 for traffic. High mileage average score: 2.244 for infrastructure, 2.889 for traffic. Freshman average score: 2.358 for infrastructure, 2.861 for traffic. Graduate average score: 2.048 for infrastructure, 2.873 for traffic. Conclusion: These scores in aggregate assess the runability of Sacred Heart University and surrounding areas. Among compelling observations included females having a lower runability score compared to males and low mileage runners having a lower runability score compared to high mileage runners. As a result, variables such as gender and weekly mileage may influence how perceptions of runability are formed.
College and Major available
Exercise Science UG
Location
University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-21-2017 1:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-21-2017 3:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Assessment and Perceptions of the Built Environment among College Aged Runners
University Commons
Background: The built environment (BE) is the physical, man-made constructs of communities. BE is associated with health and has a strong influence on pedestrian safety. Factors such as presence of sidewalks, crosswalks, and the speed of traffic are all vital in this relationship. Most BE studies assess the walkability of neighborhoods. However, no researchers have assessed the “runability” of environments including college campuses and surrounding areas where students run. Objective: This research compared perceptions of “runability” to variables including gender, weekly mileage and grade using a survey that assessed infrastructure features and the speed of traffic of the roads surrounding Sacred Heart’s campus. Methods: Collegiate runners (n=47) recruited from the Men’s and Women’s D1 Cross Country Teams at Sacred Heart University were assessed using a NEWS-Abbreviated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated and compared for each category; gender, weekly mileage, and grade. Results: Male average score: 2.298 for infrastructure, 2.867 for traffic. Female average score: 2.10 for infrastructure, 2.889 for traffic. Low mileage average score: 1.921 for infrastructure, 2.93 for traffic. High mileage average score: 2.244 for infrastructure, 2.889 for traffic. Freshman average score: 2.358 for infrastructure, 2.861 for traffic. Graduate average score: 2.048 for infrastructure, 2.873 for traffic. Conclusion: These scores in aggregate assess the runability of Sacred Heart University and surrounding areas. Among compelling observations included females having a lower runability score compared to males and low mileage runners having a lower runability score compared to high mileage runners. As a result, variables such as gender and weekly mileage may influence how perceptions of runability are formed.
