Moving beyond walkability: On the potential of health geography

Why do young adults with Type 1 diabetes find it difficult to manage diabetes in the workplace?

“…These findings help to explain why young adults experience difficulties managing diabetes in the workplace (Markowitz and Laffel, 2012) and answer demands from health geographers that researchers open the 'black box' of place, including the workplace, in health research (Feng et al, 2010). The findings also lend support to health geographers' assertions that 'place' and 'environment' are critical concepts in health related research (Andrews et al, 2012;Panellia and Gallagher, 2003), and diabetes research in particular (Balfe, 2007). The study's findings differ from some previous health geographical research, however, in that they demonstrate that for some individuals with chronic conditions, their main concern is not being prevented from accessing the workplace, whether as a result of workplace company policies or as a result of the workplace being an inaccessible and disabling environment; rather their main concern is actually figuring out how to manage their condition once they are in the workplace.…”

“…This negative impact continued even after young adults had left work in the evening, demonstrating the interconnectivity of place and space in the diabetes management practices of young adults (Crooks and Chouinard, 2006). It was notable that several interviewees felt that their workplaces did not facilitate exercise or walking (Andrews et al, 2012), and also that seasonality appeared to have a marked impact on their exercise intentions and behaviours (Montemmuo et al, 2011). These factors in combination are concerning as they indicate that some young adults are getting very little exercise both inside, on the way to, and outside of the workplace, thereby increasing their general health risk and undermining their ability to control their diabetes.…”

Blue space geographies: Enabling health in place

“…A more explicit valuing of the coast may also help position 'blue space' research as firmly into the public health arena as existing work on green space and obesogenic environments (Collins and Kearns, 2007). This special issue offers practical and theoretical approaches that provide more differentiated understandings of the relevance of blue space for public health policy (Mitchell and Popham, 2007;Richardson et al, 2012;Andrews et al, 2012).…”

“…There were a range of healthy/unhealthy bodies involved running across a perceived and measured 'salutogenic' range (Andrews et al, 2012). One characteristic of blue space is its capacity to embrace bodies of difference in ways that are gently enabling.…”

“…One characteristic of blue space is its capacity to embrace bodies of difference in ways that are gently enabling. People with a range of physical disabilities can find it difficult to actively interact with green space; something that research on green space design, walkability and obesogenic environments arguably overlooks (Andrews et al, 2012). Yet bodies of difference can be explicitly enabled in blue space, in part through immersion within water (Foley; Kearns, Collins and Conradson; Coleman and Kearns) or through a more mental immersive engagement with an environment that takes one outside oneself (Thomas; Lengen; Völker and Kistemann).…”