Knowing about a public bicycle share program in Montreal, Canada: Are diffusion of innovation and proximity enough for equitable awareness?

Abstract Researchers and practitioners are increasingly interested in public bicycle share programs (PBSP). Greater PBSP use promotes health benefits through increased physical activity yet financial costs and distant location of docking stations are barriers to PBSP uptake and reach of health promoting amenities is poorer among lesser educated individuals. However, lack of awareness of PBSP is the first barrier to overcome. This study examined 2-year changes in lack of awareness of a transport-related innovation implemented in Spring 2009 in Montreal, Canada, namely a PBSP called BIXI © as a function of proximity to bicycle docking stations and educational attainment As part of a larger investigation, a repeated cross-sectional design was used. A sample of 7011 adults was recruited through random-digit dialling to landline telephones in three population surveys: prior to implementation ( n =2000), after season 1 ( n =2502), and after season 2 ( n =2509). Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined associations of survey periods, proximity to docking stations, and education with lack of awareness while controlling for socio-demographic and health characteristics. At baseline, lower education and absence of docking stations within walking distance were associated with lower likelihood of awareness of the PBSP. There was a greater likelihood of being PBSP-unaware among those with lower education after season 1 implementation in comparison to those with higher education (OR=1.60, 95%CI: 1.18, 2.19). Those with lower education after season 2 implementation in neighbourhoods where PBSP was available were more likely to be PBSP-unaware in comparison to those with higher education in neighbourhoods without PBSP docking stations (OR=1.63, 95%CI: 1.01, 2.64). Although lack of awareness decreased over time, greater percentages of being PBSP-unaware were observed among those with lower education and living in neighbourhoods both with and without PBSP docking stations. Despite accessibility of the PBSP docking stations in neighbourhoods, inequalities in awareness persist.

[1]  Karen M. Emmons,et al.  Message Effects and Social Determinants of Health: Its Application to Cancer Disparities , 2006 .

[2]  Erika A. Waters,et al.  Health Disparities in Awareness of Physical Activity and Cancer Prevention: Findings from the National Cancer Institute's 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) , 2010, Journal of health communication.

[3]  Gregory P. Butler,et al.  By your own two feet: factors associated with active transportation in Canada. , 2007, Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique.

[4]  P. Finès,et al.  Coeur en santé St-Henri--a heart health promotion programme in Montreal, Canada: design and methods for evaluation. , 1995, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[5]  Daniel Fuller,et al.  Impact evaluation of a public bicycle share program on cycling: a case example of BIXI in Montreal, Quebec. , 2013, American journal of public health.

[6]  Jan Garrard,et al.  Gender differences in recreational and transport cycling: a cross-sectional mixed-methods comparison of cycling patterns, motivators, and constraints , 2012, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

[7]  J. Lynch,et al.  Measuring socioeconomic position in health research. , 2007, British medical bulletin.

[8]  G. Cardon,et al.  Neighborhood SES and walkability are related to physical activity behavior in Belgian adults. , 2010, Preventive medicine.

[9]  Bernice A. Pescosolido,et al.  The Web of Group Affiliations Revisited: Social Life, Postmodernism, and Sociology , 2000, American Sociological Review.

[10]  Pekka Oja,et al.  Perceived characteristics of the neighborhood and its association with physical activity behavior and self-rated health. , 2010, Health & place.

[11]  Ye Sun,et al.  Rethinking public health: promoting public engagement through a new discursive environment. , 2014, American journal of public health.

[12]  Takemi Sugiyama,et al.  Bicycle Use for Transport in an Australian and a Belgian City: Associations with Built-Environment Attributes , 2010, Journal of Urban Health.

[13]  Mark Petticrew,et al.  The physical environment and physical activity: a critical appraisal of review articles. , 2007, American journal of preventive medicine.

[14]  J. Dearing.  Applying Diffusion of Innovation Theory to Intervention Development , 2009, Research on social work practice.

[15]  Daniel Fuller,et al.  Implementing a Public Bicycle Share Program: Impact on Perceptions and Support for Public Policies for Active Transportation. , 2015, Journal of physical activity & health.

[16]  Jennifer Dill,et al.  Bicycle Commuting and Facilities in Major U.S. Cities: If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them , 2003 .

[17]  D. Tremblay,et al.  Proximité territoriale et innovation : une enquête sur la région de Montréal , 2003 .

[18]  L. Gauvin,et al.  Sustained active transportation is associated with a favorable body mass index trajectory across the early school years: findings from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development birth cohort. , 2010, Preventive medicine.

[19]  David R. Holtgrave,et al.  Alternatives to the randomized controlled trial. , 2008, American journal of public health.

[20]  T. Valente,et al.  Accelerating the Diffusion of Innovations Using Opinion Leaders , 1999 .

[21]  Daniel Fuller,et al.  Use of a new public bicycle share program in Montreal, Canada. , 2011, American journal of preventive medicine.

[22]  Edward L. Korn,et al.  Analysis of Health Surveys , 1999 .

[23]  F. ogilvie,et al.  Inequalities in usage of a public bicycle sharing scheme: socio-demographic predictors of uptake and usage of the London (UK) cycle hire scheme. , 2012, Preventive medicine.

[24]  R. Horton,et al.  Rethinking our approach to physical activity , 2012, The Lancet.

[25]  J. Reed.  Perceptions of the Availability of Recreational Physical Activity Facilities on a University Campus , 2007, Journal of American college health : J of ACH.

[26]  Daniel Fuller,et al.  The impact of implementing a public bicycle share program on the likelihood of collisions and near misses in Montreal, Canada. , 2013, Preventive medicine.

[27]  Oliver O’Brien,et al.  Health effects of the London bicycle sharing system: health impact modelling study , 2014, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[28]  Christopher J. L. Cunningham,et al.  Preparing for Bike-Sharing , 2013, Health promotion practice.

[29]  G. Robert,et al.  Diffusion of innovations in service organizations: systematic review and recommendations. , 2004, The Milbank quarterly.

[30]  D. Ogilvie,et al.  Towards a differentiated understanding of active travel behaviour: Using social theory to explore everyday commuting , 2012, Social science & medicine.

[31]  M. Petticrew,et al.  Using natural experiments to evaluate population health interventions: new Medical Research Council guidance , 2012, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

[32]  J. Parrott,et al.  Building Social Networks for Health Promotion: Shout-out Health, New Jersey, 2011 , 2013, Preventing chronic disease.

[33]  Thomas W. Valente,et al.  Social Networks and Health: Models, Methods, and Applications , 2010 .

[34]  Simon Washington,et al.  Barriers and facilitators to public bicycle scheme use : a qualitative approach , 2012 .

[35]  Jennifer L. Pearson,et al.  e-Cigarette awareness, use, and harm perceptions in US adults. , 2012, American journal of public health.

[36]  Susan Shaheen,et al.  Public Bikesharing in North America: Early Operator and User Understanding , 2012 .

[37]  J. Sallis,et al.  An ecological approach to creating active living communities. , 2006, Annual review of public health.

[38]  U. Ekelund,et al.  Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls, and prospects , 2012, The Lancet.

[39]  Annette K Regan,et al.  Electronic nicotine delivery systems: adult use and awareness of the ‘e-cigarette’ in the USA , 2011, Tobacco Control.

[40]  Simon Washington,et al.  Bike Share: A Synthesis of the Literature , 2013 .

[41]  P. J. Tichenor,et al.  MASS MEDIA FLOW AND DIFFERENTIAL GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE , 1970 .

[42]  A. Prentice,et al.  Energy and transport , 2007, The Lancet.

[43]  Lawrence D Frank,et al.  Perceived neighborhood environmental attributes associated with adults’ transport-related walking and cycling: Findings from the USA, Australia and Belgium , 2012, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

[44]  J. Bonnefoy,et al.  Constructing the evidence base on the social determinants of health: A guide , 2007 .

[45]  J. Sallis,et al.  Neighborhood built environment and income: examining multiple health outcomes. , 2009, Social science & medicine.

[46]  Roberta B. Ness,et al.  Methods in Social Epidemiology Edited by J. Michael Oakes and Jay S. Kaufman , 2006 .

[47]  R. Zarama,et al.  The Ciclovia and Cicloruta programs: promising interventions to promote physical activity and social capital in Bogotá, Colombia. , 2013, American journal of public health.

[48]  F. Kline,et al.  Deficits, Differences, and Ceilings , 1977 .

[49]  Ester Cerin,et al.  Objective Versus Perceived Walking Distances to Destinations , 2008 .

[50]  Emil Badilescu-Buga,et al.  Knowledge behaviour and social adoption of innovation , 2013, Inf. Process. Manag..

[51]  Siw Carlfjord,et al.  Key factors influencing adoption of an innovation in primary health care: a qualitative study based on implementation theory , 2010, BMC family practice.

[52]  B. Tabachnick,et al.  Using Multivariate Statistics , 1983 .

[53]  Daniel Fuller,et al.  The potential modal shift and health benefits of implementing a public bicycle share program in Montreal, Canada , 2013, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

[54]  E. Rogers.  Diffusion of Innovations , 1962 .

[55]  Daniel Fuller,et al.  Individual- and Area-Level Disparities in Access to the Road Network, Subway System and a Public Bicycle Share Program on the Island of Montreal, Canada , 2013, Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

[56]  M. Kreuter,et al.  The effect of disseminating evidence-based interventions that promote physical activity to health departments. , 2007, American journal of public health.

[57]  D. Tremblay,et al.  TERRITORIAL PROXIMITY AND INNOVATION: A SURVEY OF THE MONTREAL REGION , 2004 .

[58]  William P. Eveland,et al.  Connecting News Media Use with Gaps in Knowledge and Participation , 2000 .

[59]  John Scott,et al.  The SAGE Handbook of Social Network Analysis , 2011 .

[60]  Nadine Massard,et al.  Proximity and Innovation through an ‘Accessibility to Knowledge’ Lens , 2009 .

[61]  Darren Buck.  Encouraging Equitable Access to Public Bikesharing Systems , 2013 .

[62]  Networks as Policy Instruments for Innovation , 2014 .

[63]  Nancy Breen,et al.  Cancer Knowledge and Disparities in the Information Age , 2006, Journal of health communication.

[64]  M. Gulliford,et al.  Social and material deprivation and the cost-effectiveness of an intervention to promote physical activity: cohort study and Markov model , 2014, Journal of public health.

[65]  Daniel Fuller,et al.  Association of implementation of a public bicycle share program with intention and self-efficacy: The moderating role of socioeconomic status , 2016, Journal of health psychology.

[66]  M. Duncan,et al.  Association of neighbourhood residence and preferences with the built environment, work-related travel behaviours, and health implications for employed adults: Findings from the URBAN study , 2012, Social science & medicine.

[67]  M. Petticrew,et al.  Natural experiments: an underused tool for public health? , 2005, Public health.

[68]  W. Smith,et al.  Bringing Bike Share to a Low-Income Community: Lessons Learned Through Community Engagement, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2011 , 2013, Preventing chronic disease.

[69]  M. A. Scheirer,et al.  The Role of Linking Agents in the Diffusion of Health Promotion Programs , 1988, Health education quarterly.