tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23950737972494483192024-02-18T22:41:47.813-08:00WalkabillyWalkabilly is a research blog about public health, urban environments, transportation, statistics, and other interesting sciency stuff.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-84461521003128478812014-01-17T08:14:00.000-08:002014-01-17T08:14:00.648-08:00Central Limit TheoremHere is a really cool visualization of central limit theorem, a central (CLT) concept in much of the data analysis I do. Check Wikipedia for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_limit_theorem" target="_blank">detailed definition of CLT</a>. Done with R and what looks like Javascript to me. Lots of other great analysis and visualization from <a href="http://blog.vctr.me/" target="_blank">Victor Powell</a> on his blog. Keep watching as the number of balls approaches infinity and you will see a normal distribution. <br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/posts/central-limit-theorem.html">Central Limit Theorem Visualized in D3</a></h2>
May 29, 2013<br />
<iframe class="matchmysize" height="600" src="http://blog.vctr.me/experiments/central-limit-theorem.html" width="800"></iframe></div>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-27717168355596550102014-01-14T14:20:00.000-08:002014-01-14T14:20:00.019-08:00Counting pedestrians and cyclistsA good introduction to the company <a href="http://www.eco-compteur.com/" target="_blank">Eco-Counter</a> that has developed pretty good technology for counting pedestrians, cyclists and all other forms of transportation. Here's a <a href="http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/how-montreal-tracks-cyclists-1.1619553#ixzz2pjurwdM1" target="_blank">CTV video </a>about Montreal. <br />
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Does anyone know if there are sampling methods available for this type of counter? Simple enough to get sampling at a specific location of interest but what if you are interested in a representative sample of counts for all modes of transportation? Ideas?<br />
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via <a href="http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Active Transportation Canada</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-87558156338126463252014-01-08T14:12:00.001-08:002014-01-08T14:12:59.820-08:00STROADInteresting post in <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2014/01/dangerous-street-design-spreading-through-suburbs/8033/" target="_blank">Atlantic Cities about the STROAD</a> (Street/Road):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The STROAD design -- a street/road hybrid -- is the futon of
transportation alternatives. Where a futon is a piece of furniture that
serves both as an uncomfortable couch and an uncomfortable bed, <a href="http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2011/11/21/a-45-mph-world.html">a STROAD moves cars</a> at
speeds too slow to get around efficiently but too fast to support
productive private sector investment. The result is an expensive highway
and <a href="http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2012/1/2/the-cost-of-auto-orientation.html">a declining tax base</a>.</blockquote>
According to the article the word was coined by Chuck Marohn. The video is definitely worth the watch. Saskatoon... I'm looking at 8th Street, 22nd Street, and Idylwyld Drive<br />
as the worst culprits.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/F6jFnOnjzrk" width="640"></iframe>
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via <a href="http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Active Transportation Canada</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-86165138529245658852014-01-03T08:47:00.000-08:002014-01-03T08:47:00.535-08:00Awesome book on Statistics Done Wrong!I use statistics almost every day. I make coding errors, I misinterpret results, I misspecify models, among other mistakes. All in days work. But hopefully <a href="http://www.refsmmat.com/statistics/index.html">Statistics Done Wrong</a> by <a href="http://www.refsmmat.com/">Alex Reinhart</a> will help me make fewer of the most common statistical errors. It's all available online with a CC license. Woohoo! <br />
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<blockquote>
Statistics Done Wrong is a guide to the most popular statistical errors and slip-ups committed by scientists every day, in the lab and in peer-reviewed journals. Many of the errors are prevalent in vast swathes of the published literature, casting doubt on the findings of thousands of papers. Statistics Done Wrong assumes no prior knowledge of statistics, so you can read it before your first statistics course or after thirty years of scientific practice.</blockquote>
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Cartoon from xkcd, by Randall Munroe. <a class="reference external" href="http://xkcd.com/882/">http://xkcd.com/882/</a></div>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-87354159082820852282013-12-30T18:16:00.000-08:002013-12-30T18:20:32.166-08:00The best thing my city did this year...Interesting article from <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/12/best-thing-my-city-did-year/7885/" target="_blank">The Atlantic Cities</a> discussing the best things the cities where the various staff live did this year. <br />
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Here's mine for Saskatoon: <br />
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Saskatoon conducted a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_survey" target="_blank">Household Travel Survey </a>to examine travel behaviours. This is the first travel survey in Saskatoon in a long while. With the population expected to be <a href="http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/COMMUNITY%20SERVICES/PLANNINGDEVELOPMENT/FUTUREGROWTH/DEMOGRAPHICANDHOUSINGDATA/Pages/PopulationEstimateProjection.aspx" target="_blank">400,000 by 2032 </a>the travel survey is a critical element for planning transportation (and the Bus Rapid Transit system). Also, great that the city partnered with me to include some health questions in the survey. Should be able to start analyzing the data in January. Thanks Transportation Branch! <br />
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From The Atlantic:<br />
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A Chicago bicyclist. (Reuters)
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In Chicago we move by air, water, rail, road, sidewalk
and—increasingly—bike lane. This year, Mayor Emanuel launched Chicago’s
bike-sharing program, Divvy Bikes, which have been used 740,000 times
between the 300 stations throughout the city. We're a city of
neighborhoods, and with more than 200 miles of bike lanes to enjoy,
being able to jump on a bike whenever and wherever makes me feel like
I'm 'hacking' the city, allowing me to see the neighborhoods of Chicago
anew."<i> - <b>Ankur Thakkar,</b> Digital Director for the City of Chicago</i></blockquote>
<br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-39795273374352205492013-12-19T10:33:00.001-08:002013-12-19T10:33:12.135-08:00Important public health message<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">An important public health message. Seen on the second floor of the Murray library at the University of Saskatchewan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaK95dMtrMkhM931biuXNxitk6qwa6vvuVyDAkz1kWJoJJew8-qWXVcUZ5g-VUOJU8sZ2jc9Jfaxw8rrjzua-y1GHg95aSoZBBiSGBXSsXZ8g7xcRwOOK67JFQVaK4Kdl5OezQRehTxUF/s640/blogger-image-1136076880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaK95dMtrMkhM931biuXNxitk6qwa6vvuVyDAkz1kWJoJJew8-qWXVcUZ5g-VUOJU8sZ2jc9Jfaxw8rrjzua-y1GHg95aSoZBBiSGBXSsXZ8g7xcRwOOK67JFQVaK4Kdl5OezQRehTxUF/s640/blogger-image-1136076880.jpg"></a></div>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-12490835060063700732013-12-17T08:40:00.000-08:002013-12-17T08:40:46.747-08:00Bicycle HelmetsInteresting <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f3817" target="_blank">article the in the BMJ</a> about the complexity of bicycle helmet research by <a href="http://www.badscience.net/" target="_blank">Ben Goldacre</a> and <a href="http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/Dept/People/Spiegelhalter/davids.html" target="_blank"><span class="name">David Spiegelhalter</span></a><span class="contrib-role">. They</span> talk about the methodological and political challenges surrounding the question of bike helmets and cite a very well done Canadian study. I think the final paragraph is interesting because they says more research is probably not going to get us a more definitive answer. I disagree (I do this research after all) but I think there is an interesting point the bolded (my emphasis) section:<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In any case, the current uncertainty about any benefit from helmet wearing or promotion is unlikely to be substantially reduced by further research. Equally, we can be certain that helmets will continue to be debated, and at length. <b>The enduring popularity of helmets as a proposed major intervention for increased road safety may therefore lie not with their direct benefits—which seem too modest to capture compared with other strategies</b>—but more with the cultural, psychological, and political aspects of popular debate around risk.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I agree that our interest should be with these "other strategies," rather than with cycling helmets. Not that cycling helmets don't "work" it's just that they don't work very well compared to other things. For my money, cycling infrastructure and traffic calming are good places to start. These benefit not only cyclists but all road users. My friend and colleague Patrick Morency and I <a href="http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2013/916460/" target="_blank">wrote a paper on this recently</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Thanks Ben Goldacre </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">and <span class="name">David Spiegelhalter</span><span class="contrib-role"></span>. For everyone else, if you haven't read <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/000728487X/?tag=bs0b-21" target="_blank">Bad Science</a> you really should add it to your holiday reading list. </span></div>
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Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-3030973829894099682013-06-18T20:33:00.002-07:002013-10-29T11:26:47.257-07:00PhD Comics does it again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-33783782564169558812013-06-07T07:42:00.001-07:002013-06-07T07:42:30.840-07:00Population growth and climate change explained by Hans Rosling<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SxbprYyjyyU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-28325902345771149612013-06-04T13:43:00.000-07:002013-06-04T13:44:26.903-07:00Spring in Motion: Walking and the last mile problem<style>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Walking
is the most common form of physical activity.<sup>1</sup> The majority of
people can do it and there are no equipment costs. Walking is good for you. You
should do it whether for recreation or transportation. In this third post for
In Motion I’m going to be writing about walking and transportation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Walking
is part of everyone’s transportation. If you drive, cycle or take public
transportation, you inevitably walk the first and last sections of your trip.
Depending on how far you have to walk you may love or hate what transportation
people call the “last mile problem.” The </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">last
mile problem is the challenge of getting you from a transportation hub (parking,
bus mall) to your final destination.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> For example, you may park your
car at a lot 1 kilometer from your work and have to walk 10 minutes to get to
your office. The last mile problem is challenging because walking is relatively
slow, so increases in distance have a big impact on the total time it will take
to arrive at your destination. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thinking
about physical activity, the last mile problem is actually a good thing. If
everyone had to walk 10 minutes during the first and last section of their trip
they would almost get the recommended amount of physical activity per day.<sup>2
</sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, there is evidence to show
that people who use public transportation get nearly enough physical activity
walking too and from the transit stops.<sup>3</sup> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But
overall most people aren’t thinking about physical activity when they are rushing
to work.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Solving the last mile problem is important for making trips
shorter and more convenient. </span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What are solutions to the last
mile problem? </span></b><br />
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Bicycle Share Programs: Because cycling is much faster than
walking the last mile problem is reduced. Also, bicycle share programs encourage
people to use multiple physically active modes of transportation.<sup>4</sup></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mixed land use: Locating housing and public transportation closer
together mean the first mile problem is reduced and people are encouraged to
use public transportation.</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Density: Increasing population and service density means you can
get to work, restaurants, shopping and many other places without needing to
make a long trip by car or public transportation. </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Shuttle buses: Shuttle buses from transportation hubs to destinations
are faster and mean less time spent walking. </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Parking hubs: Large parking hubs with shuttle buses centralize parking
and discourage congestion by reducing people driving slowly searching for
parking.<sup>5</sup></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So
what does it all mean for you moving around your city? </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Enjoy
the walk</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Parking further away from central areas is usually cheaper and
means that you will get some physical activity during your transportation trip.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Diversify your transportation</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Try out different modes of transportation to see how you can reduce your total trip time. You may be surprised how fast public transportation and cycling can be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Daniel
Fuller, PhD</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Canadian
Institutes of Health Research Post-Doctoral Fellow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Department
of Community Health and Epidemiology</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">University
of Saskatchewan</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">References:
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1.
Warburton DER, Nicol CW, Bredin SSD. Health benefits of physical activity: the
evidence. <i>Canadian Medical Association Journal</i>. 2006;174(6):801–809.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. http://www.csep.ca/english/view.asp?x=804</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lachalpelle U, Frank L, Saelens
BE, Sallis JF, Conway TL. Commuting by Public Transit and Physical Activity:
Where You Live, Where You Work, and How You Get There. <i>Journal of Physical
Activity and Health</i>. 2011;8(Suppl 1):S72–S82.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4. Fuller D, Gauvin L, Kestens Y, Morency P,
Drouin L. The potential modal shift and health benefits of implementing a
public bicycle share program in Montreal, Canada. <i>International Journal of
Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity</i>. 2013;10(1):66. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Donald Shoup, <i><span style="font-style: normal; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
High Cost of Free Parking,</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Chicago:
Planners Press, 2011.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-63235323133993024712013-05-31T10:53:00.000-07:002013-05-31T10:55:11.285-07:00Spring in Motion: Cycling - Physical activity, collisions and air pollution<style>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ok, I’ll admit
it. I’m a cyclist. My main mode of transportation is my bicycle. I ride most
days of the year and have been since my first year of university. At the time
my main motivation was cost. The $300 Norco Scrambler I bought at the Bike
Doctor in 2001 got me through 6 years of bicycle commuting. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is my second
post for In Motion and, you guessed it, I’ll be talking about cycling and
health. People typically assume that cycling is good for health because it
contributes to physical activity, an important contributing factor to many
different health problems like diabetes and mental health.<sup>1 </sup>But
measuring the overall health benefits of cycling is a bit more complicated than
that. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
is good evidence to show that cycling, and especially </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">bicycle commuting on a daily basis is related
to a number of positive health outcomes</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span><sup><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2-6 </span></sup><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For example, Wagner et al., showed that </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">men who regularly walked
and cycled to work had a BMI of 0.3 lower than those who did not walk or cycle
to work.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But for all the
physical activity benefits of cycling there are also risks: collisions and air
pollution. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cyclists have a fatal risk of 20.97 per
million person trips</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">,
compared to motor vehicles with a fatal risk of 9.25 per million person trips.<sup>7</sup>
Between 1993 and 2001 the total number of cyclist fatalities in the United
States was 695 compared to 32283 fatalities for motor vehicle users. In terms
of air pollution, </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cyclists inhale
approximately 1% more pollutants than drivers</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<sup>8</sup> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now the question
is, </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Overall, is cycling beneficial for
health? The short answer is Yes.</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> There are a few studies that have done just
that.<sup>8-9</sup> de Hartog et al., showed that if people made most of their
short trips by bicycle instead of by car the estimated positive impact from
physical activity would be between 3-14 months of life gained and the negative
impact would be 0.8-40 days of life lost because of air pollution and 5-9 days
of life lost because of collisions. So the overall positive impact of cycling
for most short trips would be at a minimum 2 months and at a maximum 1 year of
life gained for each person in the population. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So what does it
all mean for you moving around your city? </span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Get on your bike
for short trips</span></b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Bikes are about the same speed as cars on
trips of less than 5km. Bikes help you get physically active and the risks of
air pollution and collisions are low. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Daniel Fuller,
PhD</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Canadian
Institutes of Health Research Post-Doctoral Fellow</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Department of
Community Health and Epidemiology</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">University of
Saskatchewan</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">References: </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Warburton DER, Nicol CW, Bredin SSD. Health benefits of physical
activity: the evidence. <i>Canadian Medical Association Journal</i>.
2006;174(6):801–809. doi:10.1503/cmaj.051351.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Barengo
NC, Kastarinend M, Lakkaa T, Nissinenc A, Tuomilehtoe J. Different forms of
physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors among 24–64-year-old men and
women in Finland. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">European Journal of
Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation. </i>2006;13:51-59.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Hu G, Pekkarinen H, Hänninen O, Tian
H, Guo Z. Relation between commuting, leisure time physical activity and serum
lipids in a Chinese urban population. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Annals
of Human Biology. </i>2001;28:412-421.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Hu G, Pekkarinen H, Hänninen O, Yu Z,
Guo Z, Tian H. Commuting, leisure-time physical activity, and cardiovascular
risk factors in China. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Medicine and
Science in Sports and Exercise. </i>2002;34:234-238.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">von Huth Smith L, Borch-Johnsen K,
Jørgensen T. Commuting physical activity is favorably associated with
biological risk factors for cardiovascular disease. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">European Journal of Epidemiology. </i>2007;22(11):771–779.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Wagner A, Simon C, Ducimetiere P, et
al. Leisure-time physical activity and regular walking or cycling to work are
associated with adiposity and 5y weight gain in middle-aged men: the PRIME
study. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">International Journal of Obesity. </i>2001;25:940-948.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Beck LF, Dellinger AM, O'Neil ME. Motor vehicle crash injury rates
by mode of travel, united states: Using exposure-based methods to quantify
differences. <i>American Journal of Epidemiology</i>. 2007;166(2):212–218.</span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Johan de Hartog J, Boogaard H, Nijland H, Hoek G. Do the health
benefits of cycling outweigh the risks? <i>Environ. Health Perspect.</i>
2010;118(8):1109–1116. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Rojas-Rueda D, de Nazelle A, Tainio M, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. The health
risks and benefits of cycling in urban environments compared with car use: health
impact assessment study. <i>BMJ</i>. 2011;343(aug04 2):d4521–d4521.
doi:10.1136/bmj.d4521.</span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></div>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-42610863998600808642013-05-29T11:38:00.003-07:002013-05-29T11:40:06.959-07:00Spring in Motion: Cars and Physical Activity<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In Motion - It’s about more than walking and cycling: Getting out
of your car might be enough to improve health</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Spring is here and the bike racks around my
office at the Royal University Hospital are nearly full by the time I arrive at
work. What a great sign that Saskatoon has started to “Spring in Motion,”
walking, cycling and taking public transportation to move around the city. As
part of “Spring in Motion” I’ll be writing a series of blog posts talking about
transportation and health research. This post is the first in that series: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Last week I spent 20 minutes crossing the
University Bridge at rush hour. Many of you have probably had the same experience.
Waiting in traffic is frustrating, annoying and time consuming. All that
waiting also got me thinking about what all that time in cars was doing to my
health. We all know we should do more physical activity, and not having enough
time is one of the big reasons people aren’t more active. But </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">how much time do we actually
spend sitting in cars</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">? And how does that relate to physical
activity and obesity. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
a study published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and
Physical Activity researchers estimated that 11% of peoples total energy
expenditure in a day in the United States is spent sitting in a car.<sup>1</sup>
Walking on the other hand accounted for just 1% of energy expenditure. Even
though driving does not require much energy, it does not make us breathe a
little harder or sweat, it does count for lots of our total energy because we
spend a lot of time doing it. A recent report by Active Healthy Kids Canada
shows that walking is declining among children and the percentage of
adolescents who take all of their trips by car has gone up.<sup>2</sup> In
Toronto, more than 30% of 8-to-14-year-olds who live a walkable distance to
school are driven by their parents.<sup>3</sup></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What does sitting the car
mean for health</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">?</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
A study by Dr. Larry Frank, a professor a the University of British Columbia, showed
that each hour spent in a car per day was associated with a 6% increase in the
chance of being obese. In a more recent study researchers from Australia
followed people over 4 years and measured their physical activity, weight and transportation
habits. The researchers found that daily car commuters gained approximately 1.1
pounds per year compared to a 0.6 pound weight gain for people who didn’t use a
car. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So what does it all mean for you moving around your city? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Before you make a trip</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, think about whether you
need to go out at all. Could you make the trip another time or do some planning
to get 2 or 3 things done in one trip? That will give you more time to do other
things and you will spend less time in your car.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you need to make a trip</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, think about whether or not
you need to take your car. Can you walk, cycle or take public transportation?
All of these modes of transportation will help you get physically active.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Daniel Fuller, PhD</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Canadian Institutes of Health Research Post-Doctoral
Fellow</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Department of Community Health and
Epidemiology</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">University of Saskatchewan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">References:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dong L, Block G, Mandel S. Activities
Contributing to Total Energy Expenditure in the United States: Results from the
NHAPS Study. <i>The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical
Activity</i>. 2004;1:4. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-1-4.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mammen G, Faulkner G, Buliung R, Lay J.
Understanding the drive to escort: a cross-sectional analysis examining
parental attitudes towards children’s school travel and independent mobility. <i>BMC
Public Health</i>. 2012;12(1):862. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-9-122.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Active Healthy Kids Canada. 2013 Report Card.
Are We Driving Our Kids Into Unhealthy Habits? </span><a href="http://www.activehealthykids.ca/Home.aspx"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">http://www.activehealthykids.ca/Home.aspx</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Frank LD, Andresen MA, Schmid TL. Obesity
relationships with community design, physical activity, and time spent in cars.
<i>American Journal of Preventive Medicine</i>. 2004;27:87–96.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sugiyama T, Ding D, Owen N. Commuting by Car. <i>American
Journal of Preventive Medicine</i>. 2013;44(2):169–173.
doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.09.063.</span></div>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-14548551762287186872013-05-28T10:38:00.002-07:002013-05-28T10:38:56.196-07:00CitiBike (aka. New Yorks Bike Share System) launched yesterday. Fun!<script src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.www.universalsubtitles.org/embed.js" type="text/javascript">
(
{"video_url": "http://vimeo.com/67105887"}
)
</script>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-66802885289273435342013-05-21T09:00:00.003-07:002013-05-21T09:00:47.155-07:00Are we driving our kids to unhealthy habits? New report from Active Health Kids Canada<a href="http://www.activehealthykids.ca/ReportCard/2013ReportCard.aspx?utm_source=Global+Summit+Newsletter+%233+-+2013+Report+Card+Launch&utm_campaign=Summit+Newsletter+%233&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">A new report from Active Healthy Kids Canada was published today. </a> <br />
<br />
Here are some recommendations from the report:
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
Parents Should:
</div>
<ul class="orange-bullets">
<li>Encourage and support their children to actively travel to and
from school as well as to other destinations (friend’s houses, parks,
etc.).</li>
<li>Share responsibility with other parents for supervision of
younger kids as they travel to and from school and activities (e.g.,
take turns leading a walking bus).</li>
<li>Park the car a short distance from school and/or other
destinations and walk from there when it is not possible for their kids
to walk the whole way.</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
School Administrators Should:
</div>
<ul class="orange-bullets">
<li>Ensure that bike racks are provided in highly visible areas on school property.</li>
<li>Consider children’s travel needs when deciding where to build new schools.</li>
<li>Facilitate the implementation of school travel plans, walking
school buses, road safety education and other measures to ensure active
and safe routes to school.</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
Policy-makers Should:
</div>
<ul class="orange-bullets">
<li>Develop joint planning mechanisms and protocols to ensure that
the built environment supports walking and biking as an easy choice for
children and youth.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-26790097423722822892013-05-15T11:22:00.003-07:002013-05-15T11:22:48.987-07:00Cycling deaths and migrant workInteresting and sad article from the Windsor Star about migrant workers and cycling deaths.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Migrant farm workers don’t have driver’s licences and can’t afford
cars. There is no public transit in Kingsville and only two small buses
in Leamington. Bicycles are their mode of transportation. Surely, in the
evenings, or on their one day off a week, they should be able to enjoy a
trip to town to do errands, socialize and get away from work without
risking their lives. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Growers, the towns of Kingsville and Leamington, police and community
groups have all paid for myriad safety measures like reflective vests,
armbands and tape, bike safety classes, posters and brochures. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But none of this makes up for the fact that we don’t make room for
bikes on our roads. Soto-Lopez was wearing reflective clothing when he
was hit and left at the side of the road. The shoulders are narrow and
the ditches deep.</blockquote>
<a href="http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/05/14/alejandro-rivera-marquez-the-latest-casualty/" target="_blank"> Full article here</a>. Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-31396833615635889712013-03-27T07:41:00.000-07:002013-03-27T07:42:00.658-07:00A Quick Guide to Canadian Census GeographiesI've been working with some new teams on research projects over the past months. These projects involve using Canadian census data, and lots of it. Quite a few of the new people are new to using census data and the typical jargon that goes along with census geographies. I could not find a reasonable explainer on the different geographies, data naming conventions, etc in the census and short of having people click through 8000 different pages on Stats Can, I figured why not put together a little guide. I thought I may also be useful for others. <a href="http://www.walkabilly.net/Publications.html" target="_blank">Visit my website to download.</a><br />
<br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-83471324424808517172013-01-30T14:39:00.001-08:002013-01-30T14:39:01.944-08:00Scivee TV<a href="http://www.scivee.tv/node/56354" target="_blank">Look mom, I'm on the internet:</a><br />
<br />
<object height="400" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.scivee.tv/flash/embedCast.swf" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="flashvars" value="id=56354&type=1" /><embed src="http://www.scivee.tv/flash/embedCast.swf" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" width="480" height="400" flashvars="id=56354&type=1"></embed></object><br />
I was asked to do this by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in partnership with scivee.tv. A bit weird in my opinion. Would be much better to create interactive web-based articles with the actual code and data than spend time on a no budget (could you tell?!) video. Who knows the video is already at 410 views. Maybe someone will remix me with Gangman Style and I'll go viral.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9bZkp7q19f0" width="560"></iframe>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-32846783276548360132013-01-18T07:09:00.002-08:002013-01-18T07:09:58.090-08:00Article of the WeekThe following is some shameless self-promotion...<br />
<br />
The article of the week this week is titled "<a href="http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300917" target="_blank">Impact Evaluation of a Public Bicycle Share Program on Cycling: A Case Example of BIXI in Montreal, Quebec</a>" and is written by me. The abstract is below.<br />
<div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="first">
<i>Objectives.</i> We examined associations
between residential exposure to BIXI (BIcycle-taXI)—a public bicycle
share program implemented in Montreal, Quebec, in 2009, which increases
accessibility to cycling by making available 5050 bicycles at 405
bicycle docking stations—and likelihood of cycling (BIXI and non-BIXI)
in Montreal over the first 2 years of implementation.</div>
<i>Methods.</i>
Three population-based samples of adults participated in telephone
surveys. Data collection occurred at the launch of the program (spring
2009), and at the end of the first (fall 2009) and second (fall 2010)
seasons of implementation. Difference in differences models assessed
whether greater cycling was observed for those exposed to BIXI compared
with those not exposed at each time point.<br />
<i>Results.</i> We
observed a greater likelihood of cycling for those exposed to the public
bicycle share program after the second season of implementation (odds
ratio = 2.86; 95% confidence interval = 1.85, 4.42) after we controlled
for weather, built environment, and individual variables.<br />
<div class="last">
<i>Conclusions.</i>
The implementation of a public bicycle share program can lead to
greater likelihood of cycling among persons living in areas where
bicycles are made available. </div>
</blockquote>
This is one of the first (though there are <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4521" target="_blank">others</a>) studies examining the impact of a bicycle share program on cycling. Of note, our research team used data from 2 seasons of implementation. More to come with our North American study of bicycle share which includes, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. </div>
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Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-58374059481736770122013-01-17T17:00:00.000-08:002013-01-17T17:00:15.238-08:00Epidemiology Alphabet (or the things that happen in pubs during conferences)<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/P2C4U624Y6o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-55306391124072485422013-01-15T06:21:00.001-08:002013-01-15T06:21:57.001-08:00Post-Doc Life <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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PhD Comics is on a roll...<br />
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<br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-8436312138535247372013-01-14T12:35:00.000-08:002013-01-14T12:35:00.731-08:00Physical Activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-51863388892950593592013-01-11T10:43:00.000-08:002013-01-11T10:43:00.373-08:00Article(s) of the weekThe article of the week this week is a collection of three papers. First an original paper, then a response and a reply for the authors.<br />
<br />
In a commentary entitled "<a href="http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673612609544" target="_blank">Stressing harms of physical inactivity to promote exercise</a>" Chi Pang Wena and Xifeng Wub state<span style="font-size: small;">:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;">"<span style="font-family: 'Shaker2Lancet';">In addition to doctors’ traditional advocacy of the</span><span style="font-family: 'Shaker2Lancet'; vertical-align: 2pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Shaker2Lancet';">health benefits of exercise, stressing the harms of inactivity could strengthen our battle against inactivity.We need to view the inactive population as abnormal
and consider them at high risk of disease.</span>"</span></blockquote>
Amy Latimer-Chueng (a great prof at Queen's University in Canada) et al., <a href="http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673613600458" target="_blank">respond</a> by stating: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Shaker2Lancet';">"Studies consistently show that
messages emphasising the benefits
of being active are more effective at
changing physical activity behaviour
than are messages emphasising
the consequences of inactivity."
</span></span></blockquote>
The <a href="http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S014067361360046X" target="_blank">response by the original authors</a> is snarky, somewhat dismissive and not all that effective at answering the original critique posed by Latimer-Chueng et al. (This is typical of responses in journals in my reading experience) <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;">"<span style="font-family: 'Shaker2Lancet';">We illustrated our point by drawing
an analogy between exercise promotion and tobacco control. WHO has
assimilated tobacco-control success
stories from around the globe into a
multipronged strategy, MPOWER.</span>"
</span></blockquote>
The response is built on one of the main critiques in the Latimer-Chueng critique, that tobacco and physical activity are two very different behaviours and behavioural approaches to change may not be transferable.<br />
<br />
This is science at work. What does your read of the evidence suggest? <br />
<br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-77077239334229266962012-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:002012-12-28T12:00:01.720-08:00Article of the weekStill on the holiday kick with the fun papers. Here is an excellent review by Gordon Simon and Jill Pell titled "<a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/327/7429/1459" target="_blank">Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: systematic review of randomised controlled trials</a>." You may have guessed... there are none. A tongue and check critique of RCTs. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="p-1">
<strong>Objectives</strong> To determine whether parachutes are effective in preventing major trauma related to gravitational challenge.</div>
<div id="p-1">
<br /></div>
<div id="p-2">
<strong>Design</strong> Systematic review of randomised controlled trials.</div>
<div id="p-3">
<strong>Data sources:</strong> Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases; appropriate internet sites and citation lists.</div>
<div id="p-3">
<br /></div>
<div id="p-4">
<strong>Study selection:</strong> Studies showing the effects of using a parachute during free fall.</div>
<div id="p-4">
<br /></div>
<div id="p-5">
<strong>Main outcome measure</strong> Death or major trauma, defined as an injury severity score > 15.</div>
<div id="p-5">
<br /></div>
<div id="p-6">
<strong>Results</strong> We were unable to identify any randomised controlled trials of parachute intervention.</div>
<div id="p-6">
<br /></div>
<div id="p-7">
<strong>Conclusions</strong> As with many interventions
intended to prevent ill health, the effectiveness of parachutes has not
been subjected to rigorous evaluation by using randomised controlled
trials. Advocates of evidence based medicine have criticised the
adoption of interventions evaluated by using only observational data. We
think that everyone might benefit if the most radical protagonists of
evidence based medicine organised and participated in a double blind,
randomised, placebo controlled, crossover trial of the parachute.</div>
</blockquote>
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<br />
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-35372116557513921682012-12-21T13:00:00.000-08:002012-12-21T13:00:00.254-08:00Article of the WeekThe <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d7679?tab=full" target="_blank">article of the week</a> is from last years British Medical Journal Christmas Edition. A nice little study, with actual science, examining walking speed and mortality. <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/about-us/people/staff-by-area/spehs?person_id=429&cw_xml=profile.php" target="_blank">Nanette Mutrie</a> talked about this at the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health in Sydney this fall.<br />
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Here is the abstract... and get walking: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1">
<div id="p-2">
<b>Objective</b> To determine the speed at which the Grim Reaper (or Death) walks. </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1">
<div id="p-3">
<b>Design</b> Population based prospective study. </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1">
<div id="p-4">
<b>Setting</b> Older community dwelling men living in Sydney, Australia. </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1">
<div id="p-5">
<b>Participants</b> 1705 men aged 70 or more participating in CHAMP (Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project). </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1">
<div id="p-6">
<b>Main outcome measures</b>
Walking speed (m/s) and mortality. Receiver operating characteristics
curve analysis was used to calculate the area under the curve for
walking speed and determine the walking speed of the Grim Reaper. The
optimal walking speed was estimated using the Youden index
(sensitivity+specificity−1), a common summary measure of the receiver
operating characteristics curve, and represents the maximum potential
effectiveness of a marker. </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1">
<div id="p-7">
<b>Results</b> The
mean walking speed was 0.88 (range 0.15-1.60) m/s. The highest Youden
index (0.293) was observed at a walking speed of 0.82 m/s (2 miles
(about 3 km) per hour), corresponding to a sensitivity of 63% and a
specificity of 70% for mortality. Survival analysis showed that older
men who walked faster than 0.82 m/s were 1.23 times less likely to die
(95% confidence interval 1.10 to 1.37) than those who walked slower
(P=0.0003). A sensitivity of 1.0 was obtained when a walking speed of
1.36 m/s (3 miles (about 5 km) per hour) or greater was used, indicating
that no men with walking speeds of 1.36 m/s or greater had contact with
Death. </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="section abstract" id="abstract-1">
<div id="p-8">
<b>Conclusion</b> The Grim Reaper’s
preferred walking speed is 0.82 m/s (2 miles (about 3 km) per hour)
under working conditions. As none of the men in the study with walking
speeds of 1.36 m/s (3 miles (about 5 km) per hour) or greater had
contact with Death, this seems to be the Grim Reaper’s most likely
maximum speed; for those wishing to avoid their allotted fate, this
would be the advised walking speed.</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073797249448319.post-25986163188943041902012-12-20T07:32:00.002-08:002012-12-20T07:32:18.765-08:00A holiday message from your supervisor<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8KHSXK4P6vU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399984974947846837noreply@blogger.com