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
The City of
Calgary Parks undertook a safety review of the existing pathway system at the
direction of Calgary City Council. The
Key Findings are included in this report.
A comprehensive source of information on
walking and cycling improvements.
This document
(and associated database) is intended to provide meaningful estimates of
infrastructure costs by collecting up-to-date cost information for pedestrian
and bicycle treatments from states and cities across the country. Using this
information, researchers, engineers, planners, and the general public can
better understand the cost of pedestrian and bicycle treatments in their
communities and make informed decisions about which infrastructure enhancements
are best suited for implementation.
This guide provides
a roadmap to making all types of communities bicycle friendly... One of the
most powerful ways to increase the amount of bicycle travel is the adoption of
bicycle friendly laws and policies. Policies can remove obstacles to bicycling,
create incentives for bicycling infrastructure, and make it easier and safer to
bicycle. This guide helps policymakers figure out where to start, and spells
out how to effectively use policy to promote bicycling..."
Health &
Place Available online 2 November 2013
Highlights:
·
This study explored variation
in the association between walkability and walking across life stages, and by
neighborhood buffer.
·
There were few differences in
strength of associations across 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1600 m for all adult
life stages.
·
The results suggest that
neighborhood walkability supports more walking regardless of adult life stage
and is relevant at smaller and larger neighborhood buffers.
At the ECF, we
also have opinions on how certain policies (namely: pro-cycling measures) can
improve the people's well being, thus their productivity and the economy as a
whole. Therefore it came as little surprise to us discovering that the world's
happiest countries rank at the very first places also in the ECF Cycling Barometer.
In other words: the more a country rides, the happier it is....
CHILDREN
Health & Place Volume 24, November
2013, Pages 44–53
Highlights:
·
Fewer children in urban areas
met screen-time public health recommendations.
·
Mothers from rural areas have
more positive perceptions of their neighbourhood.
·
Area of residence moderated
some associations between home/neighbourhood and PA and ST.
·
Physical activity as a family
may be important for urban children′s sedentary time.
·
Similar neighbourhood and home
environmental features appear to be important for rural and urban children′s
physical activity.
From the Database of Abstracts of
Reviews of Effects. A critical abstract by the Centre for Reviews and
Dissemination.
Journal of Pediatric Nursing Available online
31 October 2013
doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2013.10.011
The study results support the findings
from other research regarding the high prevalence of overweight and low levels
of physical activity in rural children and higher levels of self-efficacy
associated with higher levels of physical activity, aerobic fitness, and
healthy body composition in youth.
OLDER ADULTS
A report from the Canadian Federation of
Municipalities. Municipalities of all sizes and in rural, urban and remote
settings will have increasing populations of senior citizens in the years
ahead. This reality has many implications for municipal policy and decision
makers. This FCM QOLRS report highlights demographic trends associated with an
aging population, and presents innovative municipal practices addressing them. (Includes a chapter on Active Aging).
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
North Western University researchers
note that the location of the phone can have a significant impact on how well
the app can pick up a person's movement. Therefore, they have created a
computer algorithm that can be used in conjunction with a physical activity app
that is able to "predict" the location of a mobile phone throughout
the day with "near perfect accuracy."
From the Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews. This review examines the effectiveness of face-to-face interventions
for physical activity promotion in community dwelling adults.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
This review examines the effectiveness of remote and web 2.0 interventions for
physical activity promotion in community dwelling adults.
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
Available online 31 October 2013
doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2013.10.011
The Fitbit One activity monitors are valid
and reliable devices for measuring step counts in healthy young adults. The
distance output of the monitors are inaccurate and should be noted with
caution.
URBAN DESIGN
This new book by Barbara McCann provides
detailed information on complete streets, which are designed to be safe for
people of all ages and abilities, whether they are walking, driving, bicycling,
or taking the bus. The book describes how the complete streets movement united
bicycle riders, transportation practitioners and agencies, public health leaders,
older Americans, and smart growth advocates to reframe roadway design goals and
practices.
Planning cannot force people to exercise,
love their family or become friendlier with their neighbors, but good community
design can support these objectives. Urban design can help create:
* Walkable
neighborhoods, in which it is convenient, safe and comfortable for families to
walk to local services and activities,…
* Multi-modal
transportation systems, with good walking conditions and public transport
services, so young people, seniors, and other people who cannot drive have
independence.
* Small-scale,
participatory neighborhood activities, such as local festivals and
celebrations, cultural and art events, adult education, sports and games.
Public places play a key role in building
community and placemaking can empower local communities to create a sense of
"belonging" through place. A new report by a DUSP research team, led
by [#Susan Silberberg], examines the interactions between placemaking,
community participation, and the expanding ways communities are collaborating
to make great public places.
Research by
the National Association of Realtors has consistently revealed that Americans
prefer walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods and shorter commutes….. For detailed
information go to NAR's 2013 Community Preference Survey Analysis and slides: http://bit.ly/177aI9i.
This briefing
note by Quebec’s National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy
introduces the 'road diet,' an engineering technique that redesigns arterial
roadways to control traffic speeds and better accommodate walking, cycling and
public transit.
WORKPLACE
Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects: A critical abstract by the Centre for Reviews
and Dissemination.
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