Resource Coordinator
Alberta Centre for Active Living
Note: where possible, we provide the DOI link to research
papers in the Info Round-Up. To use it,
cut and paste the DOI into the text box on this webpage: http://dx.doi.org/. Access to research articles will be dependent
on your institutional rights.
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Cycling in Cities is a research
program investigating factors that encourage or discourage bicycling,
transportation infrastructure associated with increased or decreased risks of
cycling injuries, and air pollution and cycling. The research program is based
at the University of British Columbia School of Population & Public Health.
North American cyclists are eight
to 30 times more likely to be seriously injured while cycling than their
European counterparts
Ontario’s chief coroner’s review
of 95 pedestrian deaths reminds us of the need to create more walkable cities.
After some controversy and
hesitation to change, the Prospect Park West redesign proved to be greatly
successful for the community. Previous to its redesign, the Prospect Park West
consisted of three one-way travel lanes with a parking lane on each side of the
road. In response to local concerns about speeding and to improve community
safety, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) removed one lane and
accommodated a new two-way bikeway. The new design not only improved street
mobility and street safety, but also contributed to a more active community.
CONFERENCES
March 21st – 23rd. Held at the Grande Prairie Regional College
and the Eastlink Centre, this is a fantastic opportunity to connect to
athletes, coaches and leaders in the adapted physical activity community.
DISABILITY/ACCESSIBILITY
Take PART offers children and youth (8-21) with physical
disabilities recreation and sports opportunities across Nova Scotia. Weekly
recreation sessions expose participants to a variety of adapted recreational,
sport and leisure activities.
HEALTH GENERAL
35% of U.S. adults have gone online to figure out a medical
condition; of these, half followed up with a visit to a medical professional.
Half of smartphone owners use their devices to get health
information and one-fifth of smartphone owners have health apps.
OLDER ADULTS
Annals of Internal Medicine 5 February 2013;158 (3):162-168
Higher midlife fitness levels seem to be associated with
lower hazards of developing all-cause dementia later in life. The magnitude and
direction of the association were similar with or without previous stroke,
suggesting that higher fitness levels earlier in life may lower risk for
dementia later in life, independent of cerebrovascular disease.
Visits to a health practitioner are usually accompanied by
some measurement, such as stepping on a scale for body weight or wearing a cuff
for a blood pressure check. Levels of physical activity or servings of fruits
and vegetables are widely publicized as indicators of a healthy lifestyle.
Given that these health indicators are well known, do people pay attention when
it’s their own health?
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Health Evidence Review Quality Rating 9 (strong).
The Air Miles Reward Program, via its AIR MILES for
Social Change activities, will partner with the YMCA at 15 locations in
Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick to enable families to earn AIR MILES reward
miles in a variety of ways that encourage physical activity, such as
registering their children for day camps, using participating fitness
facilities or buying YMCA memberships.
URBAN DESIGN
It contains 35 proven programs, traffic calming treatments,
and community projects that are used around the country to create great places.
Preventing Chronic Disease Vol 10 Feb 7th 2013
Coordinators were asked whether their collaborative had
used any of the following approaches to promote active living or physical
activity in the community: environmental change (eg, trail building), policy
change (eg, complete streets), program development (bike/walk-to-work event),
educational programs (eg, bike safety), social media (eg, Facebook), or social
marketing (eg, advertisements).
We asked whether the collaborative had identified any of
the following areas as a core strategy: parks, open spaces, and recreation
facilities; transit and parking; children’s play areas; public plazas (ie,
community destinations, such as gardens and farmers’ markets); streetscaping
(eg, traffic calming); street improvements (eg, street connectivity); infill
and redevelopment (eg, mixed use development); and Safe Routes to School.
Health & Place Online 15 February 2013 Accepted
Manuscript
In this prospective study of non-sedentary older women,
neighborhood walkability did not explain change in BMI or obesity during
follow-up. Our results are consistent with a longitudinal study in older men
(mean age 70 years) reporting no direct association of built environment with
5-year change in BMI…. Neighborhood walkability may have a greater impact on
maintaining normal BMI in older populations. Our results contribute to the
small number of longitudinal studies evaluating built environment and obesity
It may seem odd that design could be related to health, but
it’s true: pleasing predictability encourages participation. If the basics are
well provided, people will flock to the system and use it to the fullest.
Healthy public parks can do wonders to support mental
health, reduce stress levels, and foster community engagement. However, the
opposite is also true for parks that are deserted, overcrowded, or riddled with
inappropriate behaviour. This article explores various factors that contribute
to both safe and dangerous park environments, and offers examples on how park
spaces can be improved.
PowerPoints and materials from this international
conference Breakout Sessions are now available on the individual session pages
of this website.
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