Background: The purposes of this study were to (1) explore the influence of social capital and leisure-time physical activity on older adults’ physical and mental health and (2) test whether these relationships varied by living arrangement. Methods: This cross-sectional study used national data from the 2013 National Health Interview Study. The subjects included 7714 adults aged 65 years or older. Logistic regressions were used to predict the probability of subjects being overweight or obese. Ordinary linear regressions were performed to predict mental health outcomes. Results: Older adults living alone were more likely to report feeling sad (alone: 1.5; with others: 1.36), hopeless (alone: 1.25; with others: 1.18), and worthless (alone: 1.22; with others: 1.15). They were also more likely to experience lower levels of social support (alone: 3.24; with others: 3.30), trust (alone: 3.34; with others: 3.44), cohesion (alone: 2.95; with others: 2.98), and enjoy less leisure-time physical activity (alone: 49....

This study examined two-level (road environments and census tracts) built environments related to the probability of severe injury for pedestrians. In total, 1407 pedestrian–vehicle crashes (years 2008–2012) were identified from 140 census tracts in the city of Austin. Two multilevel models were applied to examine pedestrian injury severity by using level-1 factors (individual characteristics, road environments, and area characteristics around the crash location) and level-2 factors (characteristics of census tracts). The results demonstrated the importance of using the multi-level model to avoid the biased results from employing the single-level model. This study showed that the likelihood of being severely injured or killed decreased when vehicles turned left, when crashes occurred at intersections, when there were traffic control devices at the crash location, and when crashes occurred during inclement weather conditions. Areas with higher sidewalk densities and higher percentage of commercial uses were negative correlates, while population density was a positive predictor. Pedestrian injury severity has been and will continue to be an important topic for the fields of public health. Future safety programs should focus on providing connected sidewalks and on populated areas.

This study explores the impacts of school siting and surrounding built environments on rates of motorist and pedestrian crashes around public schools in the Austin Independent School District, Texas, by using log-linear regressions. The results show that a higher sidewalk coverage and a higher percentage of local roads reduce pedestrian crashes around schools, while higher percentages of highways and commercial uses and higher transit stop densities increase motorist and pedestrian crashes. It is desirable to locate schools in areas with higher percentages of local roads and lower percentages of highways and commercial uses.

This study examined the influence of built environments on crashes with different levels of injury severity, and employed Geographically Weighted Negative Binomial Regressions to test whether these relationships varied across different neighborhoods in Austin, Texas. The results showed that high-speed roads produced more total and fatal crashes, and their influence was stronger in downtown areas than in peripheral regions. Commercial and office areas experienced more injury crashes, especially in downtown locations. It is crucial to implement programs to reduce vehicle travel demand, retrofit high-speed roads, and design land areas that generate fewer vehicle trips, especially for downtown spaces.