Child and adolescent patterns of commuting to school

The World Health Organization stipulate children and adolescents should accumulate 60 min of physical activity (PA) daily; globally only 25% achieve this. Active travel to school (ATS) is a method of integrating PA into daily life with a documented health benefit accruing. Understanding factors associated with ATS is essential to inform a systems approach to increase ATS participation. This study described patterns of commuting to school and examined factors associated with ATS. Children's Sport Participation & Physical Activity Study 2018 data was used, an all-Ireland cross-sectional study of 6,650 students. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors independently associated with ATS. Most common commute to school methods were private car for primary (57%) and public transport for secondary (39%) students. The recommended 60 min of daily PA a week prior to the survey was achieved by 19.5% for primary and 12.6% for secondary students. Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationality (OR 1.09 95 %CI 1.02-1.16), meeting PA guidelines (OR 1.26 95 %CI 1.08-1.46), attending a ROI school (OR 2.27 95 %CI 2.02-2.57), attending a non-Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) school (OR 2.47 95 %CI 1.87-3.24), attending an urban school (OR 3.96 95 %CI 3.41-4.59) were each independently statistically significantly associated with ATS. Living in a family with a car (OR 0.27 95 %CI 0.19-0.39), attending secondary school (OR 0.69 95 %CI 0.62-0.78), attending a small sized (<33rd percentile) school (OR 0.68 95 %CI 0.60-0.77), living >5 km from school (OR 0.22 95 %CI 0.2-0.24) were each significantly negatively associated with ATS. ATS is a means of increasing youth PA and health. Factors associated with ATS can inform further research and intervention to increase ATS participation.

Predictors of Achieving Recommended Daily Physical Activity Among Anesthesiologists at a Large Tertiary Care Academic Center

Background

The goal of the current study was to determine if the daily work patterns of anesthesiologists meet the recommended daily levels of activity.

Methods

Attending and resident anesthesiologists at a tertiary academic center were invited to participate. The subjects wore a pedometer during five regular clinical days at work and recorded the number of steps walked. The participants also completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) during one regular week. The results were analyzed using analysis of variance, Chi-square test and multivariate linear regression using STATA 12.1.

Results

During work, attending, compared with senior and junior resident, anesthesiologists had the most steps (5,953 ± 1,213, 5,153 ± 905, and 5,710 ± 1,513 steps, respectively, P = 0.2). Outside work, senior residents had the highest level of activity (3,592 ± 1,626 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-minutes/week) compared to junior residents (1,788 ± 1,089 MET-minutes/week) and attending (2,104 ± 1,594 MET-minutes/week, P = 0.005); the percentage of recommended daily level of activity represented by this outside activity was senior residents (78.5%), junior residents (27%) and attending (21%) anesthesiologists (P = 0.002). When activity at and outside work was combined, most anesthesiologists met the recommended 10,000 steps daily, P < 0.009.

Conclusions

The daily physical activity of faculty and trainee anesthesiologists at work in a busy tertiary care is low active. However, when additional physical activity is pursued outside of work, most anesthesiologists met recommended daily levels of activity. These results highlight the inadequacy of daily activity at work, and the need to pursue additional physical activity outside of work; such awareness can assist in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Patterns and predictors of changes in active commuting over 12 months

OBJECTIVE

To assess the predictors of uptake and maintenance of walking and cycling, and of switching to the car as the usual mode of travel, for commuting.

METHODS

655 commuters in Cambridge, UK reported all commuting trips using a seven-day recall instrument in 2009 and 2010. Individual and household characteristics, psychological measures relating to car use and environmental conditions on the route to work were self-reported in 2009. Objective environmental characteristics were assessed using Geographical Information Systems. Associations between uptake and maintenance of commuting behaviours and potential predictors were modelled using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Mean within-participant changes in commuting were relatively small (walking: +3.0 min/week, s.d.=66.7; cycling: -5.3 min/week, s.d.=74.7). Self-reported and objectively-assessed convenience of public transport predicted uptake of walking and cycling respectively, while convenient cycle routes predicted uptake of cycling and a pleasant route predicted maintenance of walking. A lack of free workplace parking predicted uptake of walking and alternatives to the car. Less favourable attitudes towards car use predicted continued use of alternatives to the car.

CONCLUSIONS

Improving the convenience of walking, cycling and public transport and limiting the availability of workplace car parking may promote uptake and maintenance of active commuting.