The co-benefits for health of investing in active transportation

Giles-Corti, Billie; Foster, Sarah; Shilton, Trevor; Falconer, Ryan

doi:10.1071/nb10027

Cited by 173 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Descriptive characteristics of participants stratified by study site (n = 6797) in the ISCOLE because it is an intermediate factor in the conceptual model linking AST to adiposity. Second, use of the public bus, which could include walking as part of the trip, 28 was reclassified within the active mode category. Third, we created a variable in which the category of walking, jogging or running was removed and biking and other wheeled modes of transport was compared with motorized travel in a sub-sample of 4275 participants.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between active school transport and adiposity indicators in school-age children from low-, middle- and high-income countries

et al. 2015

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OBJECTIVES:Within the global context of the nutrition and physical activity transition it is important to determine the relationship between adiposity and active school transport (AST) across different environmental and socio-cultural settings. The present study assessed the association between adiposity (that is, body mass index z-score (BMIz), obesity, percentage body fat (PBF), waist circumference) and AST in 12 country sites, in the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE). METHODS: The analytical sample included 6797 children aged 9-11 years. Adiposity indicators included, BMIz calculated using reference data from the World Health Organization, obesity (BMIz ⩾ +2 s.d.), PBF measured using bioelectrical impedance and waist circumference. School travel mode was assessed by questionnaire and categorized as active travel versus motorized travel. Multilevel linear and non-linear models were used to estimate the magnitude of the associations between adiposity indicators and AST by country site and sex. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex, parental education and motorized vehicle availability, children who reported AST were less likely to be obese (odds ratio = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (0.60-0.87), P o0.001) and had a lower BMIz (−0.09, s.e.m. = 0.04, P = 0.013), PBF (least square means (LSM) 20.57 versus 21.23% difference − 0.66, s.e.m. = 0.22, P = 0.002) and waist circumference (LSM 63.73 cm versus 64.63 cm difference − 0.90, s.e.m. = 0.26, P = 0.001) compared with those who reported motorized travel. Overall, associations between obesity and AST did not differ by country (P = 0.279) or by sex (P = 0.571). CONCLUSIONS: AST was associated with lower measures of adiposity in this multinational sample of children. Such findings could inform global efforts to prevent obesity among school-age children.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between active school transport and adiposity indicators in school-age children from low-, middle- and high-income countries

et al. 2015

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“…[4][5][6] These benefits include a reduced risk of chronic disease by encouraging physical activity, as well as benefits to air quality, traffic congestion and reduced social isolation as a result of encouraging alternative forms of transport to driving. 6 The development of compact walkable environments is now actively being encouraged by multiple sectors (health, transport and land use planning), a policy direction recommended internationally by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 7 as well as in Australia in both the federal 8,9 and state [10][11][12] levels.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a research and practice tool to measure walkability: a demonstration project

Giles-Corti

Macaulay

Middleton

et al. 2014

Health Prom J of Aust

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Issue addressed: Growing evidence shows that higher-density, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods encourage active transport, including transport-related walking. Despite widespread recognition of the benefits of creating more walkable neighbourhoods, there remains a gap between the rhetoric of the need for walkability and the creation of walkable neighbourhoods. Moreover, there is little objective data to benchmark the walkability of neighbourhoods within and between Australian cities in order to monitor planning and design intervention progress and to assess built environment and urban policy interventions required to achieve increased walkability. This paper describes a demonstration project that aimed to develop, trial and validate a 'Walkability Index Tool' that could be used by policy makers and practitioners to assess the walkability of local areas; or by researchers to access geospatial data assessing walkability. The overall aim of the project was to develop an automated geospatial tool capable of creating walkability indices for neighbourhoods at user-specified scales. Methods: The tool is based on open-source software architecture, within the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN) framework, and incorporates key sub-component spatial measures of walkability (street connectivity, density and land use mix). Results: Using state-based data, we demonstrated it was possible to create an automated walkability index. However, due to the lack of availability of consistent of national data measuring land use mix, at this stage it has not been possible to create a national walkability measure. The next stage of the project is to increase useability of the tool within the AURIN portal and to explore options for alternative spatial data sources that will enable the development of a valid national walkability index. Conclusion: AURIN's open-source Walkability Index Tool is a first step in demonstrating the potential benefit of a tool that could measure walkability across Australia. It also demonstrates the value of making accurate spatial data available for research purposes. So what?There remains a gap between urban policy and practice, in terms of creating walkable neighbourhoods. When fully implemented, AURIN's walkability tool could be used to benchmark Australian cities against which planning and urban design decisions could be assessed to monitor progress towards achieving policy goals. Making cleaned data readily available for research purposes through a common portal could also save time and financial resources.

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“…In New York, for example, even with lower percentages of women and senior cyclists, the traffic-related fatality rate is almost 20 times higher than in Japan, and about four times higher than London and Paris 32) . Many older women use bicycles in Japan, which arguably indicates that cycling is safe and convenient for everyone 11,41) . Thus, the higher rate of women cyclists contributes to the high overall proportion of cyclists in Japan.…”

Section: Dri VI Ng Sta Tusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Walking and cycling (i.e., active transportation) generate multiple indirect public health benefits such as transportation efficiency, community livability 11,12) , and an improvement in environmental quality that results from reducing transport-related pollution 13,14) associated with various negative health outcomes [15][16][17][18] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sociodemographic, biological, psychological, and behavioral correlates of cycling in community-dwelling Japanese older adults: A cross-sectional study

Amagasa

Fukushima

Kikuchi

et al. 2017

JPFSM

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The co-benefits for health of investing in active transportation

Abstract: Amid growing concerns

Cited by 173 publications

References 35 publications

Relationships between active school transport and adiposity indicators in school-age children from low-, middle- and high-income countries

Relationships between active school transport and adiposity indicators in school-age children from low-, middle- and high-income countries

Developing a research and practice tool to measure walkability: a demonstration project

Sociodemographic, biological, psychological, and behavioral correlates of cycling in community-dwelling Japanese older adults: A cross-sectional study

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