4231 adults from seven European countries answered questions from a group of Fench researchers. Adults with high personal motivation were more likely to be active than those without motivation. Participants perceiving high social support from work or school were more likely to be active. So were those with perceived opportunities for PA. BMI had no effect.
Archive for category Environment
Measures of residential density, street connectivity, land use mix, and sociodemographic characteristics of individuals were analyzed to predict walking, overweight and obesity status. Walking was consistently higher for all groups in the more walkable neighborhoods.
357 mothers from Melbourne provided information on their local physical and social neighbourhood environments, and reported weekly time spent walking for leisure and for transport. Public transport accessibility and trusting many people in the neighbourhood were predictive of increases in walking for leisure, while connectivity, pedestrian crossings, a local traffic speed were predictive of increases in transport-related walking. Satisfaction with local facilities was associated with increasing both types of walking, and the social environment was important for maintaining high levels of both leisure- and transport-related walking.
In the first study to look at the effect of neighborhood greenness on inner city children’s weight over time, researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine and University of Washington report that higher neighborhood greenness is associated with slower increases in children’s body mass over a two year period, regardless of residential density. This study of over 3,800 inner city children revealed that living in areas with green space has a long term positive impact on children’s weight and thus health. The study appears in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Data from 130 schools and 16 471 students in Norway were obtained in 2004 through self-administered questionnaires to principals and students. Multilevel logistic regression models revealed that boys at secondary level with a larger number of outdoor facilities at school had 2.7 times and girls 2.9 times higher odds of being physically active compared with students at schools with fewer facilities.
This study suggests that public open spaces in high socioeconomic neighbourhoods possess more features that are likely to promote physical activity amongst children.
Under a new “Winter Sunshine Sports” scheme, Chinese primary school children will have to run one kilometre, junior students will run one-and-a-half, while high school and university students will run two. The programme kicks off on October 26 and students are expected to have to complete their runs in their break times. The sports departments of provincial governments will enforce the scheme, which will continue until the end of April. Schools will arrange where the students can run, but races along busy roads will not be allowed. The government is concerned by a rapid increase in child obesity after a report last year from the Health ministry showed that urban six-year-old boys are 2.5 inches taller and 6.6 pounds heavier on average than 30 years ago.
An in-outlet, observational, cross-sectional design was utilized to assess the opportunities for healthy food choices and physical activity in two contrasting cities in Alabama. Thirty retail food outlets and 29 physical activity outlets were inventoried. None of the convenience stores carried frozen, low-sodium or dark-green, yellow vegetables, low-fat milk or yogurt, low-sodium and low-fat cheese, while none of the supermarkets in Tuskegee stocked low-sodium vegetables. In Tuskegee, the single public recreational area, which offered activities such as basketball, fees ranged from $25 to $35/month. Tuskegee has a shortage of “chain” supermarkets and a dominance of convenience stores which stocked few healthy foods. Overall, there are limited opportunities for healthy food and physical activity choices, which could be a barrier for chronic disease prevention efforts.
To support International Walk to School Month, Environmental Protection UK have launched their brand new interactive online Travel Buster today – a colourful cartoon calculator aimed at encouraging 7 – 11 year olds that walking, or cycling, to school is healthier for them and their local environment.
Since Monday, US schools have been participating in the annual Walk to School Week, which encourages children and their parents to walk or bike to school. Supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the initiative seeks to engage children in simple physical activities that can help reduce obesity and stave off obesity-related illnesses. According to the National Center for Safe Routes to Schools Web site, more than 2,756 schools across all 50 states participated in Walk to School Day in 2007.