Health and Participation

Physical Activity and Health At-A-Glance is a publication from the CDC that brings together what has been learned about physical activity and health in the past few decades. Major findings include: people who are usually inactive can improve their health and well being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis; physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits; greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount (duration, frequency, or intensity) of physical activity. Regular physical activity that is performed on most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States .

Effects of Physical Activity on Health and Disease - Chapter 4 of the Surgeon General’s Report. This chapter examines the relationship between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and a number of health problems.

Exercise and Your Heart: A Guide to Physical Activity covers a range of information about physical activity and health. A few topics discussed include benefits, risks, special concerns, myths and motivation.

Outdoor Recreation Participation Study - Bicycling describes the results of a 2004 bicycling survey by the Outdoor Industry Foundation. The results show that bicycling participation has remained fairly constant, and continues to be one of the most popular forms of human-powered activity. There have been slight changes in ethnicity, age, income and region among participants and enthusiasts in on- and off-road bicycling.

History

The Pedaling History Bicycle Museum is located in Orchard Park, New York. The museum features one of the world's largest collections of antique and classic American bicycles, including thousands of cycling-related memorabilia items. The museum’s website features information about bicycle history, an online bookstore, and links to bicycle-related conferences and other websites.

Children

KinderStart Sports and Exercise – This website’s section on bicycling features a collection of articles on topics including bicycle helmets, safety, trails, techniques and history.

Community Design

 Designing and Building Healthy Places is featured on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and addresses healthy environments, poorly planned growth, healthy community design, the CDC’s role, and healthy places envisioned.

Safety

Traffic Safety Facts 2001 is a compilation of motor vehicle crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System.

10 Bicycling Safety Tips are provided by Rosalyn Millman, acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Helmet Information and Laws are available from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.

Bicycle Helmet Use Laws is a publication from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from April, 2004, and contains a number of facts, information about legislation and a summary of state helmet laws.

Bicycle Helmet Use Laws: Lessons Learned from Selected Sites is a report discussing the experiences of six U.S. cities. Topics covered include: the introduction, passage, and implementation of bicycle helmet use laws, with a focus on enforcement issues; significant factors in the passage and implementation of these laws; whether or not the effectiveness of these laws was being measured; and those factors that influenced whether or not these laws were evaluated.

The Bike Safety Tour from Bicycle Source takes children through several stations, teaching them important lessons about bicycle safety. A Pedestrian Safety Trail is also available with information about walking.

Safe Bicycling Starts Early/Choosing the Right Size Bicycle for Your Child – Articles from the Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) on training children to use bicycles properly and fitting a child’s bicycle.

Cost

Auto Costs Versus Bike Costs is an article in Ken Kifer’s Bike Pages comparing direct/indirect automobile costs with bicycle costs and summarizing the benefits of bicycle commuting.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center website features a section on bicycle parking, specifically discussing the basics, parking costs, manufacturers and a bicycle parking guide.

Environment

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides an overview of energy production, consumption, demand, storage and imports/exports in the United States, as of April, 2004. The site also contains links to other energy-related and U.S. government sites.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District features information about Bicycles and Air Quality under its section on Pollution Prevention. Topics covered include the environmental benefits of bicycling, air district efforts to promote cycling and bicycle resources.

Articles and Research
Facts
Organizations
Policies and Legislation
Programs
Tools
Walking