Safe Routes to School Health Impact Assessment of Skiles Test and Crestview Elementary Schools

Indiana University Department of Public Health, in partnership with the Marion County Health Department, the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Department, Binford Redevelopment and Growth, Crestview Elementary, and Skiles Test Elementary, conducted an HIA to inform the decision to seek infrastructure funds for implementing a Safe Routes to School program in the Binford community of Indianapolis, Indiana. Safe Routes to School is a national program to promote safety and reduce the number of children who are killed while walking or biking to school. The program has expanded to include a focus on encouraging physical activity in an effort to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. The HIA focused on the following health indicators: physical activity, asthma, social cohesion, and personal safety. The HIA found that a Safe Routes to School program would likely increase community connectivity and social cohesion, increase perceived safety, and decrease the incidence of asthma and other health issues. The HIA also found that relatively few children in the Binford community attend the two local elementary schools or live close enough to bike or walk to school. The HIA recommended increased community involvement from Binford and the two elementary schools for a Safe Routes to School program to be successful.