Adult Physical Activity Behaviors in Transportation and Leisure Time

Despite the health benefits of being physically active, global prevalence estimates of participation in adequate physical activity remain stubbornly low. There is an increasing interest in studying the correlates of transportation related physical activity, but the findings were inconsistent. Therefore, the overarching purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the multiple factors and behaviors under different theoretical frameworks affecting physical activity behavior in the transportation and leisure-time domains in adults. Specific aims of the three papers to explore this topic are: (1) To what extent are perceived neighborhood environment factors significantly associated with public transportation use? (2) To what extent are the Theory of Planned Behavior constructs significantly associated with public transportation use? (3) Is there an inverse association between time spent in leisure-time physical activity and transportation related physical activity in adults over a 24 hour period? Baseline data from the Houston Travel Related Activity in Neighborhood (TRAIN) study (2013-2015) were used for Aim One and Two. California Household Travel Survey (2012) data were used for Aim Three. In Aim One, perceived accessibility to destinations [odds ratio (OR) = 1.07] and walking and cycling facilities (OR = 1.19) were directly associated with public transport use when compared to none public transport users. Compared to individuals without access to a car, people having access to a car were less likely to use public transport (OR = 0.057). In Aim Two, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs influenced public transportation use indirectly through their effects on intention. Intention to use public transportation was directly related to attitude and subjective norm, and inversely related to perceived behavioral control. For a one unit higher intention to use public transport, the odds of using public transportation was 3.32 times the odds of not using it. In Aim Three, when compared to respondents with no reported walking for transportation, those with up to 30 minutes of walking for transportation were more likely to report participation in leisure-time physical activity (OR = 1.54), while those with more than 60 minutes of walking for transportation were less likely to report participation in leisure-time physical activity (OR = 0.74). Findings of Aim One and Two suggest that 1) transportation professionals and city planners could implement strategies to increase provision of walking and cycling infrastructures in order to encourage public transport use; 2) information campaigns aimed at increasing transit ridership could focus on disseminating tailored information to increase positive attitudes and emphasize favorable social influences on public transportation use. Findings of Aim Three indicate when different levels of walking for transportation were investigated separately, an increase in reported walking for transportation time was associated with both lower and higher odds of participation in leisure-time physical activity, with some evidence to suggest displacement of leisure-time physical activity