Developing a hospital travel plan: process and baseline findings from a western Sydney hospital
Nick Petrunoff A F , Chris Rissel B , Li Ming Wen A , Huilan Xu A , David Meikeljohn C and Anthony Schembri D EA Health Promotion Service, South Western Sydney and Sydney Local Health Districts, Level 9 North, King George V Building, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. Email: lmwen@email.cs.nsw.gov.au, Huilan.xu@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
B Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Level 2, Medical Foundation Building, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Email: chris.rissel@sydney.edu.au
C UrbanTrans Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd, Level 3/246 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000, Australia. Email: meiklejohnd@urbantrans-anz.com
D General Manager’s Unit, Liverpool Hospital, Locked Bag 7103, Liverpool BC NSW 1871, Australia. Email: anthony.schembri@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
E South Western Sydney Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: n_petrunoff@yahoo.com.au
Australian Health Review 37(5) 579-584 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH13006
Submitted: 2 August 2012 Accepted: 29 January 2013 Published: 24 May 2013
Abstract
Objective. To describe the development of a hospital travel plan and report baseline findings.
Methods. The development of a travel plan involved an assessment of organisational barriers and enablers to travel planning, auditing of the transport to and physical environment of the hospital, a staff survey, analysis of distances staff travel to work and interviews with hospital managers.
Results. There were no significant organisational impediments to, and consistent managerial support for a travel plan. The staff survey response rate was similar to response rates in workplace surveys delivered mostly online via all staff emails (n = 804, 25%). The majority (83%) of respondents drove to work on most days during the week of the survey, and the majority of drivers (58%) said they were not trying to reduce their car use and not thinking of doing so. Half (47%) of all hospital staff (n = 3222) lived within 10 km and 25% lived within 5 km. People living 5–10km from the hospital were more likely to be active travellers than were those living less than 5 km from the hospital (AOR 2.7, 95% (CI): 1.6–4.5), as were male than female staff (AOR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1–2.9).
Conclusions. The process and baseline findings described in this paper are a useful reference for Australian hospitals developing travel plans.
What is known about the topic? Concerns about congestion, parking restrictions and a sedentary workforce have prompted interest in workplace travel plans. Organisational travel plans show promise for decreasing car use and improving employee health.
What does this paper add? This paper describes a process and planning tools for developing a travel plan that is practical for use in Australian hospitals. It reports original data on travel modes for hospital staff, and identifies factors associated with walking and cycling to work. These include living closer to work and being male.
What are the implications for practitioners? Australian hospitals can use the approach and process described to develop their own travel plans. The data on travel modes to work are a potential reference point for other healthcare organisations.
References
[1] Weaver HJ, Blashki GA, Capon AG, McMichael AJ. Climate change and Australia’s healthcare system – risks, research and responses. Aust Health Rev 2010; 34 441–4.| Climate change and Australia’s healthcare system – risks, research and responses.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 21108905PubMed |
[2] US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee report. Washington: USDHHS; 2008. Available at: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/ [verified 27 March 2013].
[3] Medibank Private. The health of Australia’s workforce. Canberra: Medibank Private; 2005.
[4] Medibank Private. The cost of physical inactivity – What is the lack of participation in physical activity costing Australia? Canberra: Medibank Private; 2007.
[5] Brockman R, Fox KR. Physical activity by stealth? The potential health benefits of a workplace transport plan. Public Health 2011; 125 210–6.
| Physical activity by stealth? The potential health benefits of a workplace transport plan.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BC3MvlvVSkug%3D%3D&md5=b66cfe100316d05a4b76493c0ec9d433CAS | 21458011PubMed |
[6] Victorian Department of Transport. Travelsmart. Department of Transport, State Government of Victoria; 2011.Available at: http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/projects/sustainable/travelsmart?OpenDocument&Expand=6& [verified 27 March 2013]
[7] Sustrans. Active Travel Workplace Toolkit; 2011. Available at: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/active-travel/active-travel-publications/active-travel-workplace-toolkit [verified 27 March 2013]
[8] UK Department of Transport. Travel plans; 2011. Available at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/sustainable/travel-plans/ [verified 27 March 2013]
[9] Hooper P, Bull FC. Healthy active workplaces: review of evidence and rationale for workplace health. Perth: Western Australia Government Department of Sport and Recreation; 2009.
[10] Vos T, Carter R, Barendregt J, Mihalopoulos C, Veerman L, Magnus A. et al. Assessing cost-effectiveness in prevention (ACE - Prevention): final report. Brisbane and Melbourne: University of Queensland and Deakin University; 2010.
[11] Hosking J, Macmillan A, Connor J, Bullen C, Ameratunga S. Organisational travel plans for improving health. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2010; 3 CD005575
| 20238341PubMed |
[12] Health Promotion Service NSaCCH. Northern Beaches Health Service Workplace Travel Plan 2009–2012. Manly Northern Sydney and Central Coast Health; 2009. Available at: http://www.healthpromotion.com.au/Documents/Go_Active2Work/TravelPlanNBHS2009.pdf [verified 27 March 2013]
[13] (a) Mackay K. Workplace travel plan guidance – final report. Sydney: Premier’s Council for Active Living Workplace Travel Planning Group; 2010. Available at: http://www.pcal.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/92795/Final_Report_PCAL_WTP_Guidance.pdf [verified 27 March 2013]
(b) Meiklejohn D, Wake D, editors. A tale of two cities: workplace travel programs in Melbourne and Perth. Thirtieth Australasian Transport Research Forum; 2007. Available at: http://www.patrec.org/web_docs/atrf/papers/2007/1633_Meiklejohn,Wake_A%20Tale%20of%20Two%20Cities%20-%20Workplaces%20Travel%20Plan%20Programs%20in%20Melbourne%20and%20Perth.pdf [verified 27 March 2013].
[14] Marsden Jacob Associates. Evaluation of the TravelSmart local government and workplace programs; 2011 Available at: http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/AT_TS_P_Evaluation_LocalGov_Workplace.pdf [verified 27 March 2013]
[15] Gordon-Larsen P, Boone-Heinonen JE, Sidney S, Sternfeld B, Jacobs DR, Lewis CE. Active commuting and cardiovascular disease risk: the CARDIA study. Arch Intern Med 2009; 169 1216–23.
| Active commuting and cardiovascular disease risk: the CARDIA study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 19597071PubMed |
[16] Hamer M, Chida Y. Active commuting and cardiovascular risk: a meta-analytic review. Prev Med 2008; 46 9–13.
| Active commuting and cardiovascular risk: a meta-analytic review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17475317PubMed |
[17] Hu G, Tuomilehto J, Borodulin K, Jousilahti P. The joint associations of occupational, commuting, and leisure-time physical activity, and the Framingham risk score on the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease. Eur Heart J 2007; 28 492–8.
| The joint associations of occupational, commuting, and leisure-time physical activity, and the Framingham risk score on the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17242011PubMed |
[18] Mendoza JA, Watson K, Nguyen N, Baranowski CE, Nicklas TA. Active commuting to school and association with physical activity and adiposity among US youth. J Phys Act Health 2011; 8 488–95.
| 21597121PubMed |
[19] Wen LM, Rissel C. Inverse associations between cycling to work, public transport, and overweight and obesity: findings from a population based study in Australia. Prev Med 2008; 46 29–32.
| Inverse associations between cycling to work, public transport, and overweight and obesity: findings from a population based study in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17904210PubMed |
[20] Department of Enivonment and Climate Change. NSW Government Sustainability Policy. Sydney: Department of Environment and Climate Change; 2008. Available at: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/government/08453SustainabilityPolicy.pdf [verified 27 March 2013]
[21] Capon AG, Rissel CE. Chronic disease and climate change: understanding co-benefits and their policy implications. N S W Public Health Bull 2010; 21 109–13.
| Chronic disease and climate change: understanding co-benefits and their policy implications.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20637166PubMed |
[22] Pencheon D, Rissel CE, Hadfield G, Madden DL. Health sector leadership in mitigating climate change: experience from the UK and NSW. N S W Public Health Bull 2009; 20 173–6.
| Health sector leadership in mitigating climate change: experience from the UK and NSW.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20132739PubMed |
[23] Wen LM, Orr N, Bindon J, Rissel C. Promoting active transport in a workplace setting: evaluation of a pilot study in Australia. Health Promot Int 2005; 20 123–33.
| Promoting active transport in a workplace setting: evaluation of a pilot study in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 15722366PubMed |
[24] Bartholomew LK, Parcel GS, Kok G, Gottlieb NH, Fernandez ME. Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2011.
[25] Qualtrics. Qualtrics research suite online survey software: www.qualtrics.com. [verified March 27 2013]
[26] International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Available at: http://www.ipaq.ki.se/questionnaires/IPAQ_S7S_FINAL_MAY_01.pdf [verified March 27, 2013].
[27] Dickinson JE, Kingham S, Copsey S, Hougie DJP. Employer travel plans, cycling and gender: will travel plan measures improve the outlook for cycling to work in the UK? Transp Res Part D Transp Environ 2003; 8 53–67.
| Employer travel plans, cycling and gender: will travel plan measures improve the outlook for cycling to work in the UK?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
