From motorised to active travel: using GPS data to explore potential physical activity gains among adolescents

Background

A high proportion of adolescents worldwide are not doing enough physical activity for health benefits. Replacing short motorised trips with walking or cycling has the potential to increase physical activity at the population level. This study aimed to estimate the proportion of short distance motorised trips that could be replaced with walking or cycling, and the potential physical activity gains by sociodemographic and trip characteristics.

Methods

Data were from a subsample of the NEighbourhood Activity in Youth (NEArbY) study conducted among adolescents in Melbourne. A total of 217 adolescents with at least one motorised trip completed a survey and wore a Global Positioning Systems (GPS) device for eight consecutive days. Classification of travel modes were based on speed. GPS data points were geocoded in ArcGIS. Motorised trips within walkable (1.3 km) and cyclable (4.2 km) distances were identified (threshold based on 80^th percentile of walking and cycling trip distances among Victorian adolescents), and the additional physical activity minutes that could be accrued by replacing walkable or cyclable motorised trip to active trips were quantified. Multilevel linear regression was used to assess differences in physical activity minutes gain by sociodemographic and trip characteristics.

Results

A total of 4,116 motorised trips were made. Of these, 17% were walkable and 61% were cyclable. Replacing motorised trips by walking and cycling resulted in estimated gains of six minutes and 15 min of physical activity per day, respectively.

Conclusion

The sizable proportion of replaceable trips and potential physical activity gains from this shift calls for attention to improve safe and connected infrastructure to support active travel.

Do residents with a 20-min neighbourhood walk more? Findings from ProjectPLAN

BACKGROUND

The 20-min neighbourhood (20 MN) concept aims to provide people the ability to meet their daily needs within a 20-min non-motorised trip from home. Evidence as to whether the 20 MN encourages more walking for transport or recreation is currently absent.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used self-reported data from the Places and Locations for Activity and Nutrition study (ProjectPLAN) targeting adults (n = 843) residing in Melbourne or Adelaide, Australia. Multiple services and amenities were used to represent access to five service domains (healthy food, community resources, recreational resources, public open space, public transport). Address points meeting the access criteria for each of the five domains were defined as having a 20 MN. Non-20 MNs were defined as having five or fewer individual services and amenities. This study examined if those residing in a 20 MN compared with a non-20MN undertook more walking for transport or for recreation. The analysis considered separately each of the cities to support the estimation of effects specific to each local context.

RESULTS

Respondents residing in a 20 MN relative to a non-20MN had higher odds of walking for transport in Melbourne (OR = 4.24, 95% CI = 2.38, 7.56), whilst in Adelaide there was no evidence of a difference (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.80, 2.13). In Melbourne, the mean time spent walking for transport was greater for 20 MNs (82.5 min/week, 95% CI = 65.3, 99.7) compared to non-20MNs (41.2 min/week, 95% CI = 32.7, 49.7). Whilst minutes spent walking for recreation was higher than minutes spent walking for transport, no differences were found between neighbourhood types and walking for recreation in either city.

CONCLUSION

20 MNs appeared to promote walking for transport in the higher density setting of Melbourne, but no association was observed in the lower density city of Adelaide. Further investigation is required to determine other factors beyond service provision that can promote walking for transport in Adelaide (e.g. pedestrian safety). Recreational walking did not differ across neighbourhood types highlighting that service provision and thus the 20 MN is not related to walking for exercise/recreation purposes.

Understanding children's preference for park features that encourage physical activity: an adaptive choice based conjoint analysis

Background

Parks are a key setting for physical activity for children. However, little is known about which park features children prefer and which features are most likely to encourage them to be active in parks. This study examined the relative importance of park features among children for influencing their choice of park for engaging in park-based physical activity.

Methods

Children (n = 252; 8-12 years, 42% male) attending three primary schools in Melbourne, Australia completed a survey at school. They were required to complete a series of Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint analysis tasks, with responses used to identify the part-worth utilities and relative importance scores of selected park features using Hierarchical Bayes analyses within Sawtooth Software.

Results

For the overall sample and both boys and girls, the most important driver of choice for a park that would encourage them to be active was presence of a flying fox (overall conjoint analysis relative importance score: 15.8%; 95%CI = 14.5, 17.1), followed by a playground (13.5%; 95%CI = 11.9, 15.2). For the overall sample, trees for climbing had the third highest importance score (10.2%; 95%CI = 8.9, 11.6); however, swings had 3rd highest importance for girls (11.1, 95%CI = 9.3, 12.9) and an obstacle course/parkour area had the 3rd highest importance score for boys (10.7, 95%CI = 9.0, 12.4). For features with two levels, part-worth utility scores showed that the presence of a feature was always preferred over the absence of a feature. For features with multiple levels, long flying foxes, large adventure playgrounds, lots of trees for climbing, large round swings, large climbing equipment, and large grassy open space were the preferred levels.

Conclusion

To ensure parks appeal as a setting that encourages children to engage in physical activity, park planners and local authorities and organisations involved in park design should prioritise the inclusion of a long flying fox, large adventure playgrounds, lots of trees for climbing, large round swings and obstacle courses/parkour areas.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12966-021-01203-x.

The impact of childhood parental quality on mental health outcomes in older adults

OBJECTIVE

Parental bonding is cited as a determinant of mental health outcomes in childhood, adolescence and early-mid adulthood. Examination of the long-term impact for older adults is limited. We therefore examine the long-term risk of perceived poor parental bonding on mental health across the lifespan and into early-old age.

METHODS

Participants (N = 1255) were aged 60-64 years of age and drawn from the Australian Life Histories and Health study. Quality of parental bonding was assessed with the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Self-reported history of doctors' mental health diagnoses and current treatment for each participant was recorded. Current depression was assessed with the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-8 (CESD-8). Due to known gender differences in mental health rates across the lifespan, analyses were stratified by sex.

RESULTS

A bi-factor analysis of the PBI in a structural equation framework indicated perceived Poor Parental Quality as a risk for both ever and current depression for both sexes. For males, Over-Protective Fathers were a risk for ever and current depression, whilst overall Poor Parental Quality was a risk for reporting current depression treatment. Whilst a number of the risks associated with current depression and treatment were attenuated when controlling for current mood, parental quality remained a significant risk for having reported a lifetime diagnosis for depression and anxiety for men.

CONCLUSION

Our results extend the existing literature base and demonstrate that mental health risk attributed to poor perceived parental quality continues across the life-course and into early-old age.