Canadian researchers made a brief review of active commuting and obesity. Active transportation is more frequent in some European countries with dedicated cycle and pedestrian paths, but in most developed societies, active transportation has declined in recent years. A weekly gross energy expenditure of at least 4 MJ is recommended to reduce all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. This can be achieved by walking 1.9 km in 22 minutes twice per day, 5 days per week, or by cycling at 16 km/h for 11 minutes twice per day, 5 days per week. More information is needed on active commuting, and the impact of such commuting on overall attitudes towards PA. It is also necessary to find better methods of involving the sedentary population, through both counselling and changes in urban design.
Archive for category Environment
This intervention promoted stair use among people attending the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in 2001. After 3 days of observation a prominent sign stating “Be a role model. Use the stairs!” was posted. 16,978 observations were made. Stair use increased from 22% to 29%. Active choices (stair use or walk up escalator) increased from 28% to 40%. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively few conference attendees were persuaded to stair-use behavior. Health professionals should be encouraged to be “active living” role models.
While some emerging technologies can create environments that require very little physical effort, one Kansas State University researcher thinks games like Nintendo’s Wii Fit can help promote physical rather than sedentary activities for people of all ages. “I think there is a great potential to develop ways to promote physical activity through technology,” said David Dzewaltowski. “Kids innately like to move, so I believe that there is a big future in games that use emerging technologies and require movement because the games will be enjoyed by children and also be more healthy than existing games. Future technologies should continue to promote physical activity if they make exercise enjoyable, especially for adults.
2306 children starting school in Augsburg, Germany had their age, sex, weight, and height recorded. Their parents had to answer a questionnaire covering sporting activity, amount of television watched, and eating behavior. 13% suffered from overweight and 5% were obese. This is a marked increase in the prevalence of overweight in children. Almost two thirds of Turkish and Russian speaking children watched one to three hours of television per day about twice as many as Germans. The eating habits of the Turkish children were particularly striking. Only 12.4% had five meals a day the lowest of any group.
Treadmill Desk
Jan 3
TrekDesk is manufacturer of the first affordable full sized, adjustable treadmill desk designed to fit an existing treadmill, allowing walking while working. The company claims that consistent daily walking is very effective in both long term weight loss and also offers significant increases in brain function. A study by the University of Illinois recently showed that memory can be increased by as much as 15% in just 6 months, due to increased blood flow to the brain and that the production of small blood vessels in the brain can be boosted as much as 43%.
15,574 US adults at baseline (1986/89) and 12,678 adults six years later reported television, PA, and diet data through questionnaires and BMI was measured at both time points. Participants with high TV exposure at baseline had a 40% greater odds of being considered insufficiently active. Participants with high TV exposure at baseline had a 40% and 31% and greater odds of being considered insufficiently active.
This study examines the usefulness of applying a walking suitability assessment to a specific geographic area surrounding elementary schools. Walking suitability is an important consideration when examining the feasibility of walk-to-school programs within school settings; however, it might not be the main factor limiting children’s active commuting to school. Several aspects of the environment were captured that researchers, practitioners, school personnel, and transportation experts may deem useful.
5,471 grade 5 students and their parents in the province of Nova Scotia in Canada particitated. Students completed the Harvard Food Frequency Questionnaire and had their height and weight measured. Parents completed questions on socio-economic background and how they perceived their neighborhood. Children in neighborhoods with greater perceived access to shops had healthier diets and were less likely to be overweight or obese. Children in neighborhoods with good access to playgrounds, parks and recreational facilities were reportedly more active and were less likely to be overweight or obese.
UK cardiology specialists asked makers of pacemakers about electromagnetic interference between their devices and the Wii computer console. The results were published in BMJ.
Children are receiving inconsistent health messages at sporting venues, with healthy lifestyles being promoted through sports participation, but unhealthy dietary choices being provided at sports canteens. This is based on a telephone survey conducted on parents of children aged 5-17 years in NSW, Australia.