Inverse associations between cycling to work, public transport, and overweight and obesity: Findings from a population based study in Australia

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between various modes of transport to work and overweight and obesity, in men and women. Methods. The study was conducted using data from a representative sample of 6810 respondents who reported being in the workforce, extracted from the 2003 New South Wales Adult Health Survey, Australia. Logistic regression modeling adjusted for potential confounders. Results. Men who cycled to work were significantly less likely to be overweight and obese (39.8%) compared with those driving to work (60.8%), with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.31–0.76) and much less likely to be obese (5.4%) with an adjusted odds ratio 0.34 (95% CI: 0.13–0.87). Men who used public transport to work were also significantly less likely to be overweight and obese (44.6%) with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.53–0.81). However, these inverse relationships were not found in women. Conclusions. These findings support recommendations to cycle to work or use public transport as a strategy to maintain healthy weight for men. Although healthy weight cannot be causally attributed to cycling and use of public transport in this study, the link is plausible, and increased cycling and use of public transport would have positive benefits for the environment and health in any case

Cycling to Work in Sydney: Analysis of Journey-To-Work Census Data from 2001 and 2011.

Increasing the number of commuters who use bicycles to get to work is an essential element of sustainable transport systems in the world’s most livable cities. These analyses examine whether there have been changes in levels of cycling in Sydney between the 2001, 2006 and 2011 Census, and extends an earlier analysis of data from the 1996 Census. Data on the journey to work were purchased from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Use of a bicycle on any part of the journey to work was coded as ‘bicycle used’. Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the Sydney area were coded as inner Sydney if they were within 10 kilometers of Central Station in Sydney, outer Sydney for the remaining Sydney LGAs and the rest as the Greater Metropolitan Region including the LGAs of Newcastle and Wollongong

Associations between religiosity and sexuality in a representative sample of Australian adults

Many studies have examined the influence on sexual attitudes and behavior of religious belief (i.e., religious denomination) or religiosity (e.g., attendance at services, subjective importance of religion). However, few studies have examined the combined effects of religion and religiosity on sexual attitudes and behavior. This study examined such effects in a representative sample of 19,307 Australians aged 16–59 years (response rate, 73.1%). The study compared members of four religious groups (Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim) and two levels of frequency of attendance at religious service (less than monthly, at least monthly). Religious participants were compared to their non-religious peers in analyses adjusted for potential confounding by demographic variables. The outcomes were five sexual behaviors and five corresponding measures of sexual attitudes. The study revealed inconsistent patterns of association between religion/religiosity and a range of sexual behaviors and attitudes. In general, greater attendance at religious services was associated with more conservative patterns of behavior and attitudes. However, religious people who attended services infrequently were more similar to their non-religious peers than their more religious peers. The results of this study highlight the importance of considering not only religion or religiosity, but the intersection between these two variables

Mass community cycling events: Who participates and is their behaviour influenced by participation?

BACKGROUND: Participation in mass physical activity events may be a novel approach for encouraging inactive or low active adults to trial an active behaviour. The public health applicability of this strategy has not been investigated thoroughly. The purpose of this study to was describe participants in a mass cycling event and examine the subsequent effect on cycling behaviour. METHODS: A sample of men and women aged 16 years and older (n = 918) who registered online for a mass cycling event reported cycling ability and number of times they rode a bicycle during the month before the event. One month after the event participants completed an online follow-up questionnaire and reported cycling ability, lifestyle physical activity, and number of times they rode a bicycle during the month after the event. McNemar's test was used to examine changes in self-rated cycling ability, and repeated measures mixed linear modeling was used to determine whether average number of monthly bicycle rides changed between pre-event and post-event assessment. RESULTS: Participants in the cycling event were predominantly male (72%), 83% rated themselves as competent or regular cyclists, and 68% rated themselves as more active than others of the same sex and age. Half of the survey respondents that rated their cycling ability as low before the event subsequently rated themselves as high one month after the event. Respondents with low pre-event self-rated cycling ability reported an average 4 sessions of bicycle riding the month before the event and an average 6.8 sessions of bicycle riding a month after the event. This increase in average sessions of bicycle riding was significant (p < .0001). Similarly, first-time participants in this particular cycling event significantly increased average sessions of cycling from 7.2 pre-event to 8.9 sessions one month after the event. CONCLUSION: Participants who were novice riders or first time participants significantly increased their number of bicycle rides in the month after the event. Further knowledge about the public health applicability of mass events is needed, and methods for attracting less active and novice individuals to participate remain to be developed

Employer Perspectives of Workplace Health Promotion

This report presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring the views of a small group of employers (n=25) about WHP, in particular the value and priority placed on promoting employee health, who should be responsible, as well as key barriers and facilitators. Interviews also aimed to gain an understanding of how workplace health programs and activities are currently being implemented by workplaces. The findings provide important preliminary insights into the key issues to be addressed when implementing health promotion programs in the workplace

Walking to Work in Sydney: Analysis of Journey-to-work Census Data from 2001 and 2011

Walking is the most popular physical activity in Australia, and it is safe and suitable for a broad range of people. Walking to work is one way to incorporate physical activity into the daily routine, and is therefore likely to be both regular and sustained. These analyses examine the levels of walking to work in Sydney between the 2001, 2006 and 2011 Census. Data on the journey to work were purchased from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the Sydney area were coded as inner Sydney if they were within 10 kilometres of Central Station in Sydney, outer Sydney for the remaining Sydney LGAs and the rest as the Greater Metropolitan Region including the LGAs of Newcastle and Wollongong

Time spent playing outdoors after school and its relationship with independent mobility: a cross-sectional survey of children aged 10–12 years in Sydney, Australia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Time spent outdoors is positively associated with physical activity and has been suggested as a proxy for physical activity of children. The role of children's independence in physical activity and time spent outdoors is less understood. This study aimed to assess how much time children spent playing outdoors after school, and to explore the relationship between outdoor play and independence among children aged 10–12 years.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Children recorded how much time they spent playing outdoors or watching TV/videos or playing computer games after school using a five-day diary, and also reported whether they were allowed to walk on their own in their neighbourhood as an indicator of their independent mobility. Parents were surveyed on family demographics and perception of neighbourhood safety. The surveys were conducted in late 2006 as part of the Central Sydney Walk to School program which involved 1975 children and their parents from 24 primary schools. Factors associated with time spent playing outdoors were determined by logistic regression modelling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-seven per cent of children spent less than half an hour a day playing outdoors after school, and 43% spent more than 2 hours a day watching TV, videos or playing computer games. Forty-eight per cent of children were allowed to walk on their own near where they lived. Children's independent mobility was significantly associated with outdoor play after adjusting for other confounders. Compared with those who were never allowed to walk on their own near where they lived, students who were allowed to walk on their own were significantly more likely to spend more than half an hour a day playing outdoors after school with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.6, 95% CI 1.84–3.58, P < 0.001.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings that a significant proportion of children spend less than half an hour a day playing outdoors after school and have excessive screen time have important implications for physical activity promotion and obesity prevention. The study also suggests that children's independent mobility should be considered in research and evaluation into children's play and physical activity. Environments that promote greater independent mobility in children may increase their physical activity levels and hence reduce their risk of overweight/obesity.</p

Representations of cycling in metropolitan newspapers - changes over time and differences between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia

Background - Cycling is important for health, transport, environmental and economic reasons. Newspaper reporting of cycling reflects and can influence public and policy maker attitudes towards resource allocation for cycling and cycling infrastructure, yet such coverage has not been systematically examined. Methods - The Factiva electronic news archive was searched for articles referring to cycling published in four major metropolitan newspapers - two in Sydney and two in Melbourne, Australia, in the years from 1998 until 2008. After excluding articles not about cycling, there were 61 articles published in 1998, 45 in 1999, 51 in 2003, 82 in 2007 and 87 in 2008. Each article was coded for positive or negative orientation, and for framing of cyclists and cycling. Inter-rater reliability was calculated on a sample of 30 articles. Results - Over the past decade there has been an increase in the reporting of cycling in the major newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne (from 106 in 1998/99 to 169 stories in 2007/08), with a significant increase in reporting of cycling in Melbourne, from 49 to 103 stories (p = 0.04). Recent reporting of cycling was generally positive (47% of articles, compared with 30% of articles which were negative) and focused on benefits such as health and the environment. Three quarters of negative stories involved injury or death of a cyclist. The Sydney based The Daily Telegraph reported the most negative stories (n = 60). We found positive framing of 'cycling' was more widespread than negative, whereas framing of 'cyclists' was more negative than positive. Conclusions - Quantity of reporting of cycling varies over time and by newspaper, and even between newspapers in different cities owned by the same media company. News coverage appears to reflect developments in the different cities, with increases in positive reporting of cycling in Melbourne following increases in cycling in that city. Negative cycling newspaper stories may deter people from considering cycling as a transport option, but real physical or political improvements to the cycling environment may be necessary before coverage becomes more positive.8 page(s

Creating a policy mapping tool for early childhood obesity prevention in Australian states and territories

Childhood obesity is an internationally recognised public health problem. The prevention of obesity is complex, it requires a systematic approach across all sectors of government. Policy represents the intention of a government to act in a particular area. Currently, there is no comprehensive tool to assess childhood obesity prevention policies in an Australian context