Health impacts of free bus travel for young people: Evaluation of a natural experiment in London

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

Volumn 67, Issue 8, 2013, Pages 641-647

  Edwards, Phil ^a   Steinbach, Rebecca ^a   Green, Judith ^a   Petticrew, Mark ^a   Goodman, Anna ^a   Jones, Alasdair ^a   Roberts, Helen ^b   Kelly, Charlotte ^c   Nellthorp, John ^c   Wilkinson, Paul ^a  

^a LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

^c UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ADULT; BUS TRANSPORT; CAR USE; EXPERIMENTAL STUDY; HEALTH IMPACT; HEALTH RISK; INJURY; MORTALITY; SOCIAL INCLUSION; TRAFFIC CONGESTION; TRAVEL DEMAND;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; ARTICLE; BICYCLE; CAR DRIVING; CHILD; FEMALE; HEALTH STATUS; HEALTH SURVEY; HUMAN; INJURIES; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PHYSICAL ACTIVITY; PROGRAM EVALUATION; SOCIAL INEQUALITIES; STATISTICS; TRAFFIC; TRAFFIC ACCIDENT; TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT; TRAVEL; UNITED KINGDOM; VIOLENCE; WALKING;

INJURIES; PHYSICAL ACTIVITY; SOCIAL INEQUALITIES; TRAFFIC; VIOLENCE;

ACCIDENTS, TRAFFIC; ADOLESCENT; ADULT; AUTOMOBILE DRIVING; BICYCLING; CHILD; FEMALE; HEALTH STATUS; HEALTH SURVEYS; HUMANS; LONDON; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PROGRAM EVALUATION; TRANSPORTATION; TRAVEL; VIOLENCE; WALKING;

ENGLAND; LONDON [ENGLAND]; UNITED KINGDOM;

EID: 84885374492     PISSN: 0143005X     EISSN: 14702738     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1136/jech-2012-202156     Document Type: Article

References (21)

1. Zheng Y. The benefit of public transportation: physical activity to reduce obesity and ecological footprint. Prev Med 2008;46:4-5.
2. Besser LM, Dannenberg AL. Walking to public transit: steps to help meet physical activity recommendations. Am J Prev Med 2005;29:273-80.
3. Edwards RD. Public transit, obesity, and medical costs: assessing the magnitudes. Prev Med 2008;46:14-21.
4. Jarrett J, Woodcock J, Griffiths UK, et al. Effect of increasing active travel in urban England and Wales on costs to the National Health Service. Lancet 2012;379:2198-205.
5. Woodcock J, Edwards P, Tonne C, et al. Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: urban land transport. Lancet 2009;374:1930-43.
6. Rojas-Rueda D, de Nazelle A, Teixidó O, et al. Replacing car trips by increasing bike and public transport in the greater Barcelona metropolitan area: a health impact assessment study. Environ Int 2012;49:100-9.
7. Rissel C, Curac N, Greenaway M, et al. Physical activity associated with public transport use-a review and modelling of potential benefits. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2012;9:2454-78.
8. Webb E, Netuveli G, Millett C. Free bus passes, use of public transport and obesity among older people in England. J Epidemiol Community Health 2012;66:176-80
9. Coronini-Cronberg S, Millett C, Laverty AA, et al. The impact of free older persons' bus pass on active travel and regular walking in England. Am J Public Health 2012;102:2141-8.
10. Sonkin B, Edwards P, Roberts I, et al. Walking, cycling and transport safety: an analysis of child road deaths. J R Soc Med 2006;99:402-5.
11. Bellis M, Hughes K, Wood S, et al. National five-year examination of inequalities and trends in emergency admisssion for violence across England. Inj Prev 2011;17:319-25.
12. SEU Social Exclusion Unit. Making the connections: final report on transport and social exclusion. London: Social Exclusion Unit, 2003.
13. Craig P, Cooper C, Gunnell D, et al. Using natural experiments to evaluate population health interventions: new MRC guidance. J Epidemiol Community Health 2012;66:1182-6.
14. Sun X, Briel M, Walter SD, et al. Is a subgroup effect believable? Updating criteria to evaluate the credibility of subgroup analyses. BMJ 2010;340:c117.
15. Petticrew M, Cummins S, Ferrell C, et al. Natural experiments: an underused tool for public health? Public Health 2005;119:751-7.
16. The health impact of free bus travel for young people in London: protocol for an observational study [database on the Internet]. London, LSHTM 2011. http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/php/hsrp/buses/publications/4wilkinson2011protocol.pdf
17. TfL Transport Data Library. http://romulus.tfl.gov.uk/webview (accessed 27 Mar 2013).
18. Travel in London, supplementary report: London Travel Demand Survey (LTDS). London: Transport for London, 2011. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/london-travel-demand-survey.pdf
19. Jones A. Free for some? Setting the context for the 'On the Buses' study. London: LSHTM, 2010.
20. Jones A, Steinbach R, Roberts H, et al. Rethinking passive transport: bus fare exemptions and young people's wellbeing. Health Place 2012;18:605-12.
21. Green J, Jones A, Roberts H. More than A to B: the role of free bus travel for the mobility and wellbeing of older citizens in London. Ageing Soc 2012 (in press). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X12001110.