Recreational Walking Research Articles

Active commuting and obesity in mid-life: cross-sectional, observational evidence from UK Biobank

Physical inactivity is a leading cause of obesity and premature mortality. We aimed to examine the relation between active commuting and obesity in mid-life using objectively measured anthropometric data from UK Biobank. Cross-sectional, observational data from UK Biobank were used. These were collected from individuals aged 40-69 years who visited 22 assessment centres across the UK between 2006 and 2010. Self-reported commuting method was operationalised into seven categories, ordered to reflect typical levels of physical exertion. The outcomes assessed were BMI (based on objectively measured weight and height) and percentage body fat. Hypothesised confounders were income, area deprivation, urban or rural residence, education, alcohol intake, smoking, leisure physical activity, recreational walking, occupational physical activity, general health, and limiting illness or disability. We used sex-stratified multivariate linear-regression models. Final complete case sample sizes were 72 999 men and 83 667 women for the BMI outcome and 72 139 men and 82 788 women for the percentage body fat outcome. Active commuting was significantly and independently associated with reduced BMI and percentage body fat for both sexes, with a graded pattern apparent across the seven commuting categories. In fully adjusted models, compared with their car-only counterparts, mixed public and active transport commuters had significantly lower BMI (men: β coefficient -1·00 kg/m(2) [95% CI -1·14 to -0·87], p<0·0001; women: -0·67 kg/m(2) [-0·86 to -0·47], p<0·0001), as did cycling or cycling and walking commuters (men: -1·71 kg/m(2) [95% CI -1·86 to -1·56], p<0·0001; women: -1·65 kg/m(2) [-1·92 to -1·38], p<0·0001). Similarly, compared with car-only commuters, mixed public transport and active commuters had significantly lower percentage body fat (men: -1·32% [95% CI -1·53 to -1·12], p<0·0001; women: -1·10% [-1·40 to -0·81], p<0·0001), as did cycling or cycling and walking commuters (men: -2·75% [95% CI -3·03 to -2·48], p<0·0001; women: -3·26% [-3·80 to -2·71], p<0·0001). This study is the first to use UK Biobank data to address the topic of active commuting and obesity and shows robust, independent associations between active commuting and healthier bodyweight and composition. These findings support the case for interventions to promote active travel as a population-level policy response for prevention of obesity in mid-life. UK Medical Research Council.

Safe RESIDential Environments? A longitudinal analysis of the influence of crime-related safety on walking.

BackgroundNumerous cross-sectional studies have investigated the premise that the perception of crime will cause residents to constrain their walking; however the findings to date are inconclusive. In contrast, few longitudinal or prospective studies have examined the impact of crime-related safety on residents walking behaviours. This study used longitudinal data to test whether there is a causal relationship between crime-related safety and walking in the local neighbourhood.MethodsParticipants in the RESIDential Environments Project (RESIDE) in Perth, Australia, completed a questionnaire before moving to their new neighbourhood (n = 1813) and again approximately one (n = 1467), three (n = 1230) and seven years (n = 531) after relocating. Self-report measures included neighbourhood perceptions (modified NEWS items) and walking inside the neighbourhood (min/week). Objective built environmental measures were generated for each participant’s 1600 m neighbourhood at each time-point, and the count of crimes reported to police were generated at the suburb-level for the first three time-points only. The impact of crime-related safety on walking was examined in SAS using the Proc Mixed procedure (marginal repeated measures model with unrestricted variance pattern). Initial models controlled for demographics, time and self-selection, and subsequent models progressively adjusted for other built and social environment factors based on a social ecological model.ResultsFor every increase of one level on a five-point Likert scale in perceived safety from crime, total walking within the local neighbourhood increased by 18.0 min/week (p = 0.000). This relationship attenuated to an increase of 10.5 min/week after accounting for other built and social environment factors, but remained significant (p = 0.008). Further analyses examined transport and recreational walking separately. In the fully adjusted models, each increase in safety from crime was associated with a 7.0 min/week increase in recreational walking (p = 0.009), however findings for transport walking were non-significant. All associations between suburb-level crime and walking were non-significant.ConclusionsThis study provides longitudinal evidence of a potential causal relationship between residents’ perceptions of safety from crime and recreational walking. Safety perceptions appeared to influence recreational walking, rather than transport-related walking. Given the popularity of recreational walking and the need to increase levels of physical activity, community social and physical environmental interventions that foster residents’ feelings of safety are likely to increase recreational walking and produce public health gains.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-016-0343-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Association between Belgian Older Adults' Physical Functioning and Physical Activity: What Is the Moderating Role of the Physical Environment?

BackgroundBetter physical functioning in the elderly may be associated with higher physical activity levels. Since older adults spend a substantial part of the day in their residential neighborhood, the neighborhood physical environment may moderate associations between functioning and older adults’ physical activity. The present study investigated the moderating role of the objective and perceived physical environment on associations between Belgian older adults’ physical functioning and transport walking, recreational walking, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.MethodsData from 438 older adults were included. Objective physical functioning was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery. Potential moderators included objective neighborhood walkability and perceptions of land use mix diversity, access to recreational facilities, access to services, street connectivity, physical barriers for walking, aesthetics, crime-related safety, traffic speeding-related safety, and walking infrastructure. Transport and recreational walking were self-reported, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was assessed through accelerometers. Multi-level regression analyses were conducted using MLwiN to examine two-way interactions between functioning and the environment on both walking outcomes. Based on a previous study where environment x neighborhood income associations were found for Belgian older adults’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, three-way functioning x environment x income interactions were examined for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.ResultsObjectively-measured walkability moderated the association between functioning and transport walking; this positive association was only present in high-walkable neighborhoods. Moreover, a three-way interaction was observed for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Only in high-income, high-walkable neighborhoods, there was a positive association between functioning and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. No functioning x walkability interactions were observed for recreational walking, and none of the perceived environmental variables moderated the positive association between physical functioning and the physical activity outcomes.ConclusionsFor older adults with better physical functioning, living in a high-walkable neighborhood could be beneficial to engage in more transport walking. Living in high-income, high-walkable neighborhoods and having better functioning might also be beneficial for more engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. This might suggest a protective role of neighborhood walkability for preventing declining physical functioning and consequently decreasing physical activity levels in older adults. However, given the cross-sectional design of the present study, this suggestion needs to be confirmed through longitudinal assessment investigating over-time changes in the observed associations.

Associations of public transport accessibility with walking, obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes

Objective: To examine associations of public transport system accessibility with walking, obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes/impaired glucose regulation. Methods: Associations of public transport accessibility with self-reported walking for transport or recreation and measured biomarkers of chronic disease risk were estimated in 5241 adult residents of 42 randomly selected areas in Australia in 2004/05, drawn from the second wave of a population-based cohort study (AusDiab). Public transport accessibility was objectively measured using an adaptation of the Public Transport Accessibility Levels (PTAL) methodology, comprising both GIS derived spatial and temporal accessibility measures. Logistic regression models were adjusted for individual and environmental level covariates and clustering within areas. Results: Above median public transport accessibility was positively associated with a walking time of more than the median 90 min per week (OR=1.28, 95%CI 1.03, 1.60) and walking above the recommended 150 min per week (OR=1.35, 95%CI 1.11, 1.63). There were no associations of public transport accessibility with obesity (OR=1.05, 95%CI 0.85, 1.30), the metabolic syndrome (OR=1.09, 95%CI 0.91, 1.31) nor diabetes/impaired glucose regulation (OR=1.11, 95%CI 0.94, 1.30). Findings were similar for a subgroup reporting no vigorous recreational physical activity. Conclusions: In this Australian sample, public transport accessibility was positively associated with walking at recommended levels, including for people who are not otherwise vigorously active. Significance: Walking is crucial for increasing physical activity levels and population health, as well as maximising public transport system efficiency. Building evidence on public transport accessibility and walking will enable governments to exploit this important synergy.

Environmental Correlates of Recreational Walking in the Neighborhood.

To assess environmental correlates of neighborhood recreational walking. The study used a cross-sectional survey. The study was conducted in the local community. Participants were adults who recently relocated and walk for recreation in their current neighborhood. The outcome measure was participant-reported neighborhood recreational walking in participants' prior neighborhood. Exposure measures were (1) participant-reported social and environmental characteristics of the prior neighborhood and (2) geographic information system-derived environmental characteristics assessed within a buffer around participant's prior address. Participants reporting current neighborhood recreational walking (n = 231) were characterized by whether they walked for recreation in their prior neighborhood. Associations between neighborhood characteristics and neighborhood recreational walking were assessed using logistic regression. Neighborhood recreational walking was associated with perceptions of the presence of recreational facilities (odds ratio [OR] = 2.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.29-4.84), interesting things to see (OR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.46-5.45), and others being active (OR = 3.56, 95% CI = 1.80-7.05), and was inversely associated with concerns about crime (OR = .40, 95% CI = .20-.77) and traffic (OR = .43, 95% CI = .22-.87). This behavior was associated with objectively measured presence of walking trails (OR = 3.58, 95% CI = 1.07-4.46), percentage of street length with speed limits ≤25 mph (OR = 1.31 for 10% increase, 95% CI = 1.08-1.61), and percentage of tree canopy coverage (OR = 1.55 for 10% increase, 95% CI = 1.12-2.14). Recreational walking may be influenced by environmental factors that support a safe, enjoyable, and social experience, attributes that are not necessarily prioritized in transportation walking. Outcome and exposure specificity are important when studying recreational walking.

Comparing Associations Between the Built Environment and Walking in Rural Small Towns and a Large Metropolitan Area

The association between the built environment (BE) and walking has been studied extensively in urban areas, yet little is known whether the same associations hold for smaller, rural towns. This analysis examined objective measures of the BE around participants’ residence and their utilitarian and recreational walking from two studies, one in the urban Seattle area ( n = 464) and the other in nine small U.S. towns ( n = 299). After adjusting for sociodemographics, small town residents walked less for utilitarian purposes but more for recreational purposes. These differences were largely explained by differential associations of the BE on walking in the two settings. In Seattle, the number of neighborhood restaurants was positively associated with utilitarian walking, but in small towns, the association was negative. In small towns, perception of slow traffic on nearby streets was positively associated with recreational walking, but not in Seattle. These observations suggest that urban–rural context matters when planning BE interventions to support walking.

A comparison of the recreational walking environment quality between old and new towns: A case study in Shanghai

A comparison of the recreational walking environment quality between old and new towns: A case study in Shanghai

Quality of Public Open Spaces and Recreational Walking.

We examined associations between specific public open space (POS) attributes and recreational walking to local POS. Between October 2004 and December 2006, 1465 adults of the RESIDential Environments Project, conducted in Perth, Australia, reported whether they walk to a POS for recreation. For each participant, we identified all open spaces larger than 0.8 hectares within 1.6 kilometers from home. On the basis of field audit data, we created 3 scores (presence, count, size-weighted presence) for 19 specific open space attributes. With logistic regression analyses, we found that walking to a POS was associated with the presence of gardens, grassed areas, walking paths, water features, wildlife, amenities, dog-related facilities, and off-leash areas for dogs. It was also associated with the highest number of these attributes in a single open space, but not with the total number of attributes in all POSs within 1.6 kilometers of home. Building 1 high-quality local park may be more effective in promoting recreational walking than is providing many average-quality parks.

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and leisure-time sitting in relation to ovarian cancer risk in a large prospective US cohort.

Physical activity is hypothesized to lower the risk of ovarian cancer, but current evidence for an association is limited and inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, walking, and leisure-time sitting in relation to incident ovarian cancer, overall and by histologic subtype. Moderate-vigorous recreational physical activity (MET-hours/week), recreational walking, and leisure-time sitting were examined in relation to epithelial ovarian cancer in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a US cohort followed for cancer incidence from 1992 to 2011. Exposure information was collected via self-administered questionnaires. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate multivariable-adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of total, serous, and nonserous ovarian cancer according to MET-hours/week, hours/week of walking, and hours/day of sitting. Among 63,972 postmenopausal women, 651 cases of ovarian cancer were identified during follow-up. Neither MET-hours/week nor walking was associated with risk. However, ≥6 h/day of sitting, compared to <3, was associated with higher risk of ovarian cancer (RR 1.44, 95% CI 1.12-1.85), particularly for serous cancer (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.06-2.16), although statistical heterogeneity by histology was not detected (p = 0.36). Results from this study do not support an association between physical activity and ovarian cancer, whereas prolonged sitting may be associated with higher risk. Additional large studies are needed to further assess possible etiologic differences by histologic subtype.

Public transit generates new physical activity: Evidence from individual GPS and accelerometer data before and after light rail construction in a neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Poor health outcomes from insufficient physical activity (PA) are a persistent public health issue. Public transit is often promoted for positive influence on PA. Although there is cross-sectional evidence that transit users have higher PA levels, this may be coincidental or shifted from activities such as recreational walking. We use a quasi-experimental design to test if light rail transit (LRT) generated new PA in a neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Participants (n=536) wore Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and accelerometers before (2012) and after (2013) LRT construction. We test within-person differences in individuals’ PA time based on changes in transit usage pre- versus post-intervention. We map transit-related PA to detect spatial clustering of PA around the new transit stops. We analyze within-person differences in PA time based on daily transit use and estimate the effect of daily transit use on PA time controlling for socio-demographic variables. Results suggest that transit use directly generates new PA that is not shifted from other PA. This supports the public health benefits from new high quality public transit such as LRT.

Accounting for the daily locations visited in the study of the built environment correlates of recreational walking (the RECORD Cohort Study)

BackgroundUnderstanding how built environment characteristics influence recreational walking is of the utmost importance to develop population-level strategies to increase levels of physical activity in a sustainable manner. PurposeThis study analyzes the residential and non-residential environmental correlates of recreational walking, using precisely geocoded activity space data. MethodsThe point-based locations regularly visited by 4365 participants of the RECORD Cohort Study (Residential Environment and CORonary heart Disease) were collected between 2011 and 2013 in the Paris region using the VERITAS software (Visualization and Evaluation of Regular Individual Travel destinations and Activity Spaces). Zero-inflated negative binomial regressions were used to investigate associations between both residential and non-residential environmental exposure and overall self-reported recreational walking over 7days. ResultsDensity of destinations, presence of a lake or waterway, and neighborhood education were associated with an increase in the odds of reporting any recreational walking time. Only the density of destinations was associated with an increase in time spent walking for recreational purpose. Considering the recreational locations visited (i.e., sports and cultural destinations) in addition to the residential neighborhood in the calculation of exposure improved the model fit and increased the environment-walking associations, compared to a model accounting only for the residential space (Akaike Information Criterion equal to 52797 compared to 52815). ConclusionsCreating an environment supportive to walking around recreational locations may particularly stimulate recreational walking among people willing to use these facilities.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour of adults with mental illness.

To assess physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) in non-institutionalised adults with mental illness, using a combination of self-report and objective measures. Cross-sectional Participants completed PA questionnaires (time spent walking for transport, walking for recreation, gardening, vigorous-, and moderate-intensity activities), and SB questionnaires (time spent sitting for TV, travel, work, computer use, and reclining). Participants also wore an accelerometer for 7 days. Accelerometry estimates of time spent in SB, light activity, and moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA), bout durations, and, breaks in sedentary time, were calculated. 142 participants completed the questionnaires. The median time spent in self-reported MVPA and SB was 4.5h/week and 10.7h/day, respectively. Walking for transport, and sitting to watch TV, contributed most to self-report estimates; time spent reclining was an important contributor to SB. Ninety-nine participants completed the accelerometry. The median time spent in accelerometer-derived MVPA and SB was 26min/day and 9.2h/day respectively; 7% of MVPA time was in bouts of 10min or more, and 34% of SB time was in bouts of over 20min. A high proportion of participants reported activity levels consistent with physical activity guidelines; however, a small proportion of activity was accumulated in bouts of 10min or more. Participants also had high levels of SB, about one-third of which was accumulated in bouts over 20min. PA and SB interventions for this group could target increasing recreational walking, and reducing television time.

Should we all just stay home? Travel, out-of-home activities, and life satisfaction

How and why travel contributes to our life satisfaction is of considerable import for transportation policy and planning. This paper empirically examines this relationship using data from the American Time Use Survey. It finds that, controlling for relevant demographic, geographic, and temporal covariates, travel time per day is significantly and positively associated with life satisfaction. This relationship is attenuated, but still significant, when the amount of time spent participating in out-of-home activities is controlled for. Time spent bicycling is strongly associated with higher life satisfaction, though it attains significance only in some models; time spent walking is also quite positive, though it is not significant. However, both walking and bicycling are positively and significantly associated with life satisfaction when time spent on purely recreational walking and bicycling is included. Life satisfaction is positively and significantly associated with time spent traveling for the purposes of eating and drinking, religious activities, volunteering, and playing and watching sports. Travel time exhibits a strong positive relationship with life satisfaction in smaller towns and cities, but in large cities the association weakens, and for very large cities travel time may actually not be associated with life satisfaction at all. This may be due to the costs of traffic congestion, which disproportionately exists in large cities. In all, while the associations between travel and life satisfaction are clear, the causal story is complex, with the positive relationships potentially being explained by (1) travel allowing us to access destinations that make us happy, (2) the act of travel itself being fulfilling, and/or (3) intrinsically happier people being more likely to travel. In all likelihood, all three factors are at play.

Determinants of demand for recreational walking trails in Ireland

The purpose of this work is to explore how recreational walkers' marginal willingness to pay for, or travel to, Irish trails is affected by trail attributes. We use principal components data reduction, z-score data normalization, and OLS regression analyses on two stated preference datasets covering 302 Irish and foreign visitors, and recreational experts, across 15 sites in Ireland between 2005 and 2010. Findings reveal that endowment and infrastructure attributes emerge as primary influences affecting demand. In particular, flat or valley-endowed trails, and infrastructure, including signage, amenities, and maps or leaflets positively affect demand. Additionally, robustness checks suggest farmer access agreements may also be important. On the other hand, we find that mountain or hill, forest, and coastal or lake trails, as well as income, seem to be negatively associated with demand. Finally, we are able to use these in-sample results to extrapolate demand for a set of new relatively unimproved trails in an out-of-sample demand prediction exercise.

Environmental influences on indoor walking behaviours of assisted living residents

Regular walking behaviours can improve older people's physical, psychological and social health. This project examined the relationships between assisted living facilities’ design features and residents’ indoor walking behaviours through surveys and field evaluations. Surveys were conducted in 18 assisted living facilities in the US state of Texas. Researchers gathered information from 343 residents about their walking behaviours, participation in other activities, health and demographic status, and perceptions of the environment. Field evaluations were conducted to collect objective physical environment measures. Facility information was provided by the administrators. Multivariate hierarchical regression analysis showed significant influences of physical environments on indoor walking behaviours. Indoor recreational walking was related negatively to the number of stories of the building and positively to the perception of looped corridors. Different types of utilitarian walking, such as ‘walk to other activities’, ‘walk to front entry' and ‘walk to mailbox' were influenced by specific design features. The number of utilitarian walking types was marginally influenced by the number of stories of the building. These findings will help inform the design of activity-friendly assisted living facilities and the creation of health promotion programmes for frail older people.

Do psychosocial factors moderate the association between objective neighborhood walkability and older adults' physical activity?

This study investigated moderating effects of psychosocial factors on the association between walkability and physical activity (PA) in 433 Belgian older adults. Furthermore, main effects of psychosocial factors on PA were determined. No moderating effects were observed for the associations between walkability and transport walking, or moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Walkability was positively associated with recreational walking in those with high self-efficacy. Regarding main effects, benefits and social norm were positively associated with recreational walking. Benefits were positively and barriers were negatively associated with MVPA. There were no significant main effects for transport walking. The overall lack of moderation suggests that environmental interventions might enhance all older adults' transport walking and MVPA. Recreational walking might be enhanced by simultaneously targeting self-efficacy and neighborhood environmental factors.

Are we developing walkable suburbs through urban planning policy? Identifying the mix of design requirements to optimise walking outcomes from the 'Liveable Neighbourhoods' planning policy in Perth, Western Australia.

BackgroundPlanning policy makers and practitioners are requesting clearer guidance on the ‘essential’ ingredients as assessed by public health researchers to ensure suburban neighbourhood environments are designed to promote active living behaviours such as walking.ObjectivesTo identify the combination of design requirements from the ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’ (LN) planning policy in Perth, Western Australia that were optimally supportive of walking.MethodsK-means cluster analysis identified groups of developments with homogeneous LN features from its community design (CD), movement network (MN), lot layout (LL) and public parkland (PP) elements. Walking behaviours measured using the Neighbourhood Physical Activity Questionnaire were compared between participants resident in the different clusters, adjusting for demographic characteristics, self-selection factors, stage of construction and scale of development.ResultsCompared with participants living in the referent cluster of ‘poor CD and PP developments’ those living in: ‘MN and LL developments’ had higher odds of doing any (OR = 1.74; 95 % CI = 1.22, 2.48) and ≥60 min walking for recreation (WR) (OR = 2.05; 1.46, 2.88); ‘PP developments’ had increased odds of doing any WR (OR = 3.53; 2.02, 6.17), ≥60 min WR (OR = 3.37; 1.98, 5.74) and any total walking (TW) (OR = 2.35; 1.36, 4.09); ‘CD-MN developments’ had increased odds of doing any walking for transport (WT) (OR = 2.64; 1.38, 5.06), ≥60 min WT (OR = 1.98; 1.09, 3.61), any TW (OR = 1.71; 1.44, 2.03), ≥60 min TW (OR = 1.77; 1.14, 2.76) and ≥150 min TW (OR = 1.47; 1.15, 1.86).ConclusionsThis study is the first to have empirically identified a mix of specific and distinguishing planning policy neighbourhood design requirements to optimise walking outcomes. These findings will assist in the assessment of urban plans for greenfield suburban developments designed to promote walking and physical activity.

Park proximity, quality and recreational physical activity among mid-older aged adults: moderating effects of individual factors and area of residence.

BackgroundThe transition from active employment to retirement is a potentially critical period for promoting maintenance or development of recreational physical activity in older age. Park proximity and quality might be important correlates of recreational physical activity in this age group. However, research on park-physical activity relationships among mid-older aged adults is limited and inconclusive. Furthermore, while knowledge of individual moderators of park-physical activity relationships is crucial for tailoring interventions, this knowledge is also limited. We investigated relationships between perceived park proximity, park quality and recreational physical activity among mid-older aged adults. Additionally, we examined the potential moderating effects of gender, education level, retirement status, functional limitations and area of residence on these relationships.MethodsSelf-reported data on demographics, functional limitations, park proximity, park quality, recreational walking and other recreational moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) were collected among 2700 Australian adults (57–67 years) in 2012. Objective information on area of residence was collected. To examine associations of park-related variables with recreational walking and other recreational MVPA, zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression models were used.ResultsPark proximity significantly interacted with retirement status; non-retired participants who reported living near a park were more likely to participate in recreational walking, whereas no relationship was observed in retired participants. Among those who walked for recreation, higher park quality was related to more weekly minutes of recreational walking. No significant relationships with other recreational MVPA and no moderating effects of gender, education level, functional limitations and area of residence were observed.ConclusionsParks may stimulate engagement in recreational walking among non-retirees and more walking among those who already walk. Future research should investigate which environmental factors relate to engagement in recreational walking among retirees and examine whether improvements in park quality actually lead to increases in mid-older aged adults’ recreational walking.

A longitudinal multi-method study of recreational impacts in the Arthur Range, Tasmania, Australia

Longitudinal studies of recreational impacts can be valuable for identifying long-term trends and for assessing the long-term effectiveness of management measures designed to mitigate impacts. Several types of impact relating to recreational walking were monitored periodically in the remote and rugged Arthur Range, Tasmania, utilising a variety of techniques over a 20-year period starting in 1994. The first twelve years of the study coincided with the implementation of several management measures in the range including extensive ‘hardening’ of some tracks (trails) and campsites, local track realignments and closures, and the installation of signs encouraging walkers to ‘fan out’ on some track-free sections of the range. The monitoring programme provided information on the effectiveness of these measures and on trends in the condition of unimproved tracks, routes and campsites. The installation of camping platforms and associated infrastructure halted deterioration and facilitated recovery at several major campsites, although the recovery of devegetated sites was slow. ‘Fanning out’ forestalled track development in some parts of the range but proved ineffective even as a short-term measure on steep, confined terrain. Active deterioration continued on many unimproved track sections and campsites. Further management inputs are required if recreational impacts in the range are to be sustainable. Management implicationsThis study demonstrates the value of longitudinal monitoring programs for describing both the severity and extent of recreational impacts and the effectiveness of management measures. However, the situation in the Arthur Range exemplifies much of the ‘real world’ where, despite an abundance of data, changing policies and limited management resources have stalled efforts to achieve sustainable recreation management.Findings of the study include:•On unimproved track sections, absolute impacts are lower but rates of change proportionally greater in many lower-use areas (consistent with the widely-reported finding that the impact-use relationship is curvilinear).•The installation of camping platforms, hardened tracks, toilets and other infrastructure at major campsites arrested and in some cases actually reversed campsite impacts, broad-scale trampling impacts and ad hoc track development at several of those campsites.•Some recovery of closed or disused impacted campsites occurred, but recovery was minimal or extremely slow on alpine sites that had lost most of their original vegetation cover.•The implementation of a ‘fan out’ (dispersal) policy in selected areas met with varying success, failing to halt track development even in the short term on steep, confined sites, but proving successful on open sites with low vegetation.

The contribution of former work-related activity levels to predict physical activity and sedentary time during early retirement: moderating role of educational level and physical functioning.

BackgroundThe transition to retirement introduces a decline in total physical activity and an increase in TV viewing time. Nonetheless, as more time becomes available, early retirement is an ideal stage to implement health interventions. Therefore, knowledge on specific determinants of physical activity and sedentary time is needed. Former work-related physical activity has been proposed as a potential determinant, but concrete evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine if former work-related sitting, standing, walking or vigorous activities predict physical activity and sedentary time during early retirement. Additionally, moderating effects of educational level and physical functioning were examined.MethodsIn total, 392 recently retired Belgian adults (>6 months, <5 years) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the SF-36 Health Survey and a questionnaire on sociodemographics and former work-related activities. Generalized linear regression analyses were conducted in R. Moderating effects were examined by adding cross-products to the models.ResultsMore former work-related sitting was predictive of more screen time during retirement. Lower levels of former work-related vigorous activities and higher levels of former work-related walking were associated with respectively more cycling for transport and more walking for transport during retirement. None of the predictors significantly explained passive transportation, cycling and walking for recreation, and leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during retirement. Several moderating effects were found, but the direction of the interactions was not univocal.ConclusionsFormer-work related behaviors are of limited importance to explain physical activity during early retirement, so future studies should focus on other individual, social and environmental determinants. Nonetheless, adults who previously had a sedentary job had higher levels of screen time during retirement, so this is an important subgroup to focus on during interventions. Because of the inconsistent moderating effects of educational level and physical functioning, no clear recommendations can be formulated.