Printer FriendlyProject Activities
- Nutrition
a. Tours
b. Signage in Dining Halls
c. New Aramark Brochure - Physical Activity
a. Walkability Survey
b. Bikeability Survey
c. Bike Share Program
The signature initiative “A Model for Campus Partnership for Better Health” will help UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff increase physical activity, improve nutrition and fight obesity.
A partnership between faculty and staff from the Physical Therapy Department and the Campus Recreation Center, Aramark, Art Department, O’Leary Library, UML Facilities, Residential Life, Student Government Association and UML administration and the project team will launch the “Healthy Campus Campaign” that will encourage walking and biking around campus as well as promoting good eating habits.
Please Respond to the Survey and Participate in the Focus Group
All UML students, staff and faculty are encouraged to take an online 5-minute survey to help the project team know what you think about eating, physical activity and the UML campus. Also the team is looking for volunteers to participate in focus groups that will help identify environmental and policy changes that will increase physical activity and improve nutrition on the campus. To sign up for the one-hour, on-campus focus groups, please send your name to Deirdra Murphy.
A. Nutrition
The project team is already offering you ways to improve your nutrition through tours and materials.
Nutrition Tours
The Healthy Campus Campaign team members are offering Nutrition Tours, a hands-on opportunity to learn about good nutrition through a 30-minute informative tour of UML Dining Halls. You’ll learn about portion control, healthy choices, and cooking methods. The first evening nutrition tour will be held on December 5 in the UML South Dining Hall at 5:30 p.m. Contact Deirdra Murphy to schedule a Nutrition Tour.
Signage in Dining Halls
The nutrition signs have been created and hung in UMass Lowell’s South and Fox dining halls to help you make healthier choices when you dine.
Leah Rastiello (left), a senior nutrition student, and Christine Hannus (right), first year graduate physical therapy student, have been hired with grant funds to create the nutrition signs and develop a new brochure for Aramark.
New Aramark Brochure
The new Aramark brochure (.pdf) includes guidelines for nutrition, walking routes, and the Campus Dish website at UML. Here are the highlights:
The 5-2-1-0 Campaign is an easy way to remember the daily guidelines for nutrition and physical activity each day:
5- Fruits and Veggies
2- Hours or less watching TV or on a computer
1- Hour or more of physical activity
0- Sodas, sweetened sports or fruit drinks
Did you know that the Campus Dish at UMass Lowell website helps you monitor your intake of calories, carbohydrates and more?
The new brochure also includes a map of the campus and dining halls with walking and biking routes.
| North to South: 1.0 miles | Fox to South: 1.2 miles | Fox to North: 0.4 miles |
| Walking: 18 minutes | Walking: 20 minutes | Walking: 7 minutes |
| Walking: 63 calories | Walking: 70 calories | Walking: 24 calories |
| Bike: 7 minutes | Bike: 8 minutes | Bike: 3 minutes |
| Bike: 55 calories | Bike: 63 calories | Bike: 23 calories |
B. Physical Activity
The project team conducted walkability and bikeability surveys to assess how easy or difficult it is to walk and bike around the campus. The results indicate that improvements can be made around campus in both areas. See each survey area below to find out how the surveys were conducted and more detailed results.
To encourage biking around campus, a new Bike Share Program will start up in the spring.
Walkability Survey Results
The main objective of the Walkability Survey was to assess how easy or difficult it is to walk around the UMass Lowell campus.
The results of the walkability assessment showed that UML as a whole is moderately walkable, and could benefit from some improvements. The average walkability of East, North, and South combined scored 68 out of a possible 100. Out of the three campuses, South ranked the highest with a score of 75.3; North was next with a score of 64.8; and East was last with a score of 64. Download the Walkability Survey Report (.pdf) that includes photographs of walking routes.
How the Survey was Conducted
The following criteria were evaluated: pedestrian facilities, pedestrian conflicts, crosswalks, maintenance, path size, buffer, universal accessibility, aesthetics and shade.
The data was collected by means of an observational assessment using the Center for Disease Control’s “walkability” audit tool. Penny Bruce and Julianne Brodie, senior health education majors, conducted the walkability audit as part of their service learning coursework with Dr. Nicole Champagne. The observers walked the three campuses taking notes and pictures of each segment on October 15, 2007.
Each campus was broken down into multiple sub-segments which were determined by the two students. Pedestrian use and or pedestrian/vehicle conflict was the main criteria in segmenting the sections.
Bikeability Survey
The main objective of the Bikeability Survey was to assess how easy or difficult it is to bike around the UML campus. The survey quantified the number and location of bike racks, the presence of bikes on campus, as well as determined the bikeability of the UML campus community to ultimately promote the use of bikes.
Many bikes were prevalent on all three UML campuses, but there was an inadequate amount of racks to lock them to. There were numerous bikes locked to benches, railings, and light posts. An average of 67.2% of the bikes on those campuses are not on a rack. Additional bike racks are recommended. Download the Bikeability Survey Report (.doc).
How the Survey was Conducted
The data was collected by means of an observational assessment. Penny Bruce and Julianne Brodie, senior health education majors conducted the walkability audit as part of their service learning coursework with Dr. Nicole Champagne.
Date, time, weather, stray bikes (not on a rack), location of bike racks, number of bikes on each rack, shelter over rack, and prevalence of signs indicating the location of bike racks were noted. Assessment of each campus occurred twice.
Bike Share Program
UMass Lowell facilities, grounds, campus recreation center, SHE faculty and SHE student service-learning projects are collaborating on a pilot bike share program. Bikes, helmets, and locks will be purchased. The Bike Share Program will be housed at the campus recreation center where bikes will be checked out for the day and returned to the Campus Recreation Center.
The anticipated kick off for the bike share program will be March 24, 2008. Data will be collected and analyzed to assess the success and viability of the Program.
Benefits of a bike share system
The bike share systems will complement the shuttle service offered between campuses, reduce private vehicular transportation, reduce parking issues associated with an increase of private vehicular transportation, provide an alternative to parking fees, and increase pedestrian activity through access and mobility.
“Such programs are a part of a necessary shift away from dependency on fossil fuels for transportation and towards more sustainable solutions. Bike sharing can also be an innovative way of promoting exercise without requiring significant lifestyle changes and be part of a healthier campus and increase quality of life.”