Matching Items (12)
Description
“¡No hay problemas en España! (There are no problems in Spain!) My professor exclaimed, grinning at his American students’ first day jitters. I arrived in Granada, Spain on January 7, 2012 and instantly noticed a dramatic shift in priorities; the term “quality of life” took on an entirely new identity. Quality of life studies have become increasingly popular, and many researchers have realized there are more meaningful ways to measure the wellbeing of a community that transcends gross domestic product. Instead of merely measuring financial progress, quality of life studies emphasize that communities rich in health and happiness may be more valuable to its residents and the world than those only concerned with financial wealth. The United Nations Development program takes life expectancy into account, but not the quality of the years lived (Schimmel, 2009). As long as it is a formal economic interaction, gross domestic product accounts for it, including negative aspects of a community like natural disasters and divorce (McKibben, 2007). “Under the current system... the most ‘economically productive citizen’ is a cancer patient who totals his car on his way to meet with his divorce lawyer” (McKibben, 2007, p. 28). If the polluted air causes higher rates of cancer in a population, the costs paid into the economy for medical treatment transfer right into our GDP. GDP does not distinguish between the economic transactions that improve our lives and those that hurt them. The graph below displays the false yet passively accepted idea that an increase in economic development necessarily leads to a higher sense of wellbeing. Although GDP per capita in the United States has risen threefold since 1960, happiness levels have not changed (Helliwell, Layard, & Sachs, 2012), and as the ultimate goal of human beings (Bergheim, 2006), we should be dedicating more research to accomplishing happiness, rather than a higher income. In fact, money only correlates with happiness up to a certain point, and depending on which researcher you ask, that number is between $10,000 per capita income (McKibben, 2007) and $50,000 per capita income (Shadyac, Shimizu, & Belic, 2011). Individuals included in Forbes magazine’s wealthiest Americans list have the same happiness as the Amish in Pennsylvania, and only slightly higher happiness than Swedes, as well as Masai tribesmen (McKibben, 2007). This phenomenon is worldwide, as Costa Ricans are happier than the Japanese and the French are equally satisfied as the Venezuelans (McKibben, 2007).
ContributorsStein, Melissa (Author) / Rodriguez, Ariel (Thesis director) / Phillips, Rhonda (Committee member) / Larsen, Dale (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)
Created2012-12
Conceptualizing social capital and active transportation to school through a social-ecological model
Description
Active transportation to school (ATS) has received an increasing amount of attention over the past decade due to its promising health contributions. Most of the existing research that surrounds ATS investigates factors from the physical environment as well as factors from the individual perspective that influence walking and biking to school. This research attempts to add to the existing knowledge by exploring the impact that social relationships within the neighborhood have on ATS.
A model, based on social ecological theory, was presented and tested to examine elements thought to influence ATS. A logistic regression analysis was run to determine the odds of students walking or biking based on the influence of each construct within the model. Results indicated that the physical and socio-cultural constructs were directly and significantly related to ATS behavior while the construct of safety had an indirect effect. These findings support the idea that there are several factors that operate within and across different ecological levels to influence the mode of transportation to school. Therefore, programs to promote ATS should involve multi-level strategies. In addition to the physical environment, interventions should address interpersonal relationships within the family, school, and neighborhood.
A model, based on social ecological theory, was presented and tested to examine elements thought to influence ATS. A logistic regression analysis was run to determine the odds of students walking or biking based on the influence of each construct within the model. Results indicated that the physical and socio-cultural constructs were directly and significantly related to ATS behavior while the construct of safety had an indirect effect. These findings support the idea that there are several factors that operate within and across different ecological levels to influence the mode of transportation to school. Therefore, programs to promote ATS should involve multi-level strategies. In addition to the physical environment, interventions should address interpersonal relationships within the family, school, and neighborhood.
ContributorsRoss, Allison (Author) / Searle, Mark (Thesis advisor) / Knopf, Richard (Committee member) / Kulinna, Pamela (Committee member) / Rodriguez, Ariel (Committee member) / Todd, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015