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
Why are the relatively modest
costs of sidewalks, bicycle lanes and paths, and pedestrian improvements met
with suspicion and hostility by the conventional auto-oriented transportation
community? What are the true costs and the true benefits of these projects?
Save for walking trips, no trip
involves just one form of transportation. We inevitably shift between two or
more methods of travel – by foot, bicycle, bus, train, car – so we must be
aware that every mode of transportation is connected and strive to make these connections
seamless.
Transportation Research Part A:
Policy and Practice
Volume 50, April 2013, Pages
198–208
This study contributes to
walking behavior research in three ways. It presents:
·
a deeper understanding of the varied reasons
people choose to walk;
·
a new understanding of how these motivations are
correlated with trip satisfaction; and
·
a theoretical framework positing how the same
underlying values and motivations lead to home location decision while
simultaneously moderating the effect of trip characteristics such as slope and
distance.
While 77 per cent of United
Nations countries carry out safety audits to ensure the safety of road
infrastructure projects for cyclists and pedestrians, Canada does not, and is
contributing to a concerning trend of countries promoting alternative forms of
transportation without ensuring their safety, according to the Global Status
Report on Road Safety.
From the Conservation Law
Foundation
Wouldn't you just love to have a
superhero sweep down, stand up to the jerk behind the wheel, and block the car
so you could cross safely? Enter Peatónito, the masked Mexican defender of
pedestrians!... He wears a cape and a mask in the tradition of Lucha Libre, the
popular Mexican wrestling style.
Swedish auto major Volvo has unveiled a new "pedestrian
airbag," which pops up on the outside of the car to protect people who get
struck.
No one is suggesting that it is,
or should become a crime, however media reports about walking and bicycling
injuries and deaths more often than not lead one to the conclusion the victim
was somewhere doing something he shouldn't have been doing
Perhaps the most important
lesson drawn from the case studies is that no single measure suffices. A
coordinated package of infrastructure provisions, promotional programs, and
transportation and land-use policies is the trademark of every city that has
succeeded at significantly raising cycling levels.
This document was updated 13
March 2013
CHILDREN
The HANDS UP for Health and Physical Literacy video series
has launched on Youtube. It is a three-part illustrated video series that will
engage children and youth in physical and health literacy.
This report identifies interventions that can help
increase physical activity in youth ages 3-17 years across a variety of
settings. The primary audiences for the report are policymakers, health care
and public health professionals
HEALTH GENERAL
Annual Review of Public Health Volume 34
This article published in 'The Annual Review of Public
Health' investigates various ways that transportation policy and planning
decisions affect public health, and transport planning can better incorporate
public health objectives. It identifies 'win-win' strategies that help improve
public health and achieve other planning objectives.
OLDER ADULTS
The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) is a
large, national, long-term study that will follow approximately 50,000 men and
women between the ages of 45 and 85 for at least 20 years. The study will
collect information on the changing biological, medical, psychological, social,
lifestyle and economic aspects of people’s lives.
UAlberta researcher says terms such as "normal,"
"healthy" or "successful" aging can prejudice our views of
seniors.
SEDENTARISM
Diabetologia March 2013
These studies provide preliminary evidence that sedentary
behavior may be a more effective way to target the prevention of type 2
diabetes, rather than just solely focusing on moderate-to-vigorous physical
activity (MVPA)…… This approach requires a paradigm shift, so that individuals
at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes think about the balance of sedentary
behavior and physical activity throughout the day.
URBAN DESIGN
Preventing Chronic Disease 2013
Changing the built environment to promote active lifestyles
requires collaboration among diverse sectors. Multisectoral collaborative
groups in the United States promote active lifestyles through environmental and
policy changes. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics
of these collaborative groups and the extent to which they have achieved
change.
This article published in "Public Roads"
describes current efforts to redesign urban streets for multiple users and
uses. (Includes great before and after photos)
A few days ago, I was reviewing some good work by colleagues
describing NRDC’s advocacy for sustainable cities. The original draft stressed
that dense living is the way to go. Wherever the word "dense"
appeared, I crossed it out substituted the word "walkable." Not only
is "walkable" a much friendlier word; it also captures so many more
of the things we need to make the places where we live and work more
sustainable and livable.
WORKPLACE
Preventing Chronic Disease 2013
We reduced the price of salad bar purchases by 50% during
March 2012 and analyzed sales data by month for February through June 2012.
…..Although our survey data are limited by a 26% response rate, the survey data
and the 366% increase in salad sales by weight in March suggest that cost is a
significant barrier to salad consumption….The change in purchases in response
to the change of price suggests that salads purchased in a cafeteria are viewed
as a luxury rather than a necessity
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