Availability of and access to physical activity opportunities and links with health behaviours and obesity among adults
Lead Research Organisation:
MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Health experts are increasingly concerned about the rising number of people who are obese or overweight. Being obese damages health, it can lead to diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease and a number of other health problems. One of the factors that can lead to being obese is not taking enough exercise. Researchers think that the type of environment people live in might make a difference. For example, some areas might not have enough recreation facilities such as swimming pools, sports centres or parks where people could go for a walk or jog. Also, it might be more difficult for some people to travel to facilities if they don?t have a car or there isn?t any public transport that goes there. Although experts think that these things might be important, there isn?t any research that has looked at this question across the country in urban and rural areas. So a team of researchers is going to bring together the information that has been collected in other studies and use this in a new way to help answer this question. The researchers will map the locations of recreation facilities across all mainland Scotland, and look to see how easy it is to get there and how much it costs by different forms of transport. They will then go on to look at whether living close to facilities or how easy it is to get to them, makes a difference to how much exercise people take or how likely there are to be obese. The researchers will also examine whether the availability of recreation and transport facilities matters more for the physical activity and obesity levels of some people than others e.g. women or men, the elderly, people on low incomes or people living in rural areas.The results of this study will help government planners and policy makers responsible for health, recreation and transport to plan their services more effectively and fairly.
Technical Summary
Obesity levels are rising with a simultaneous decline in physical activity. Efforts to increase physical activity levels which focus upon changing individuals? behaviour have had limited success. Increasing attention has therefore been directed towards the potential of the local environment (e.g. the availability of physical activity amenities and resources) to influence physical activity levels and obesity. However, the precise mechanisms through which the UK environment can impact upon physical activity levels and obesity are not well understood. One potential contributory factor is the extent to which the availability of and access to facilities for physical activity is distributed equitably across different neighbourhoods. Most studies to date have been conducted in the USA or Australia, limiting their applicability to the UK. In this proposed study, we intend to examine firstly, the extent to which there is equitable distribution of the availability and access (by different modes of transport) to physical activity opportunities; secondly, to examine if the distribution of opportunity is associated with physical activity levels; and thirdly, to determine if this, in turn, is associated with obesity. We propose to examine these questions in relation to the Scottish population, with a particular focus on adults and fixed PA facilities such as sports centres, swimming pools and green space. Knowledge of the extent to which access and use of physical activity facilities and associations with obesity is socially patterned is important for informing the direction and focus of public health and planning policy.
People |
ORCID iD |
Anne Ellaway (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Ellaway A
(2013)
Neighbourhood Structure and Health Promotion
Ellaway A
(2016)
Associations between access to recreational physical activity facilities and body mass index in Scottish adults.
in BMC public health
Ferguson NS
(2013)
Access to recreational physical activities by car and bus: an assessment of socio-spatial inequalities in mainland Scotland.
in PloS one
Lamb KE
(2010)
Distribution of physical activity facilities in Scotland by small area measures of deprivation and urbanicity.
in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity
Lamb KE
(2012)
Sociospatial distribution of access to facilities for moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity in Scotland by different modes of transport.
in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity
Ogilvie D
(2011)
Recreational physical activity facilities within walking and cycling distance: sociospatial patterning of access in Scotland.
in Health & place
Description | Availability of and access to physical activity opportunities and links with health behaviours and obesity among adults |
Amount | £96,870 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MC_EX_G0701942 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Department | National Prevention Research Initiative (NPRI) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2009 |
End | 03/2011 |
Description | EDTC Feasibility Award |
Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Scottish Enterprise |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2009 |
Description | EDTC Feasibility Award (AE) |
Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Scottish Enterprise |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2009 |
End | 12/2010 |
Description | EDTC Feasibility Award (AE) |
Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Scottish Enterprise |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2009 |
End | 03/2010 |
Description | Festival Of Social Science - Neighbourhoods and health: The east end of Glasgow. |
Amount | £500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Global Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Acceleration Centre (GSRAC) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Start | 08/2016 |
End | 11/2016 |
Title | data on transport networks |
Description | We have developed a GIS-based public transport model for Scotland which incorporates Ordnance Survey Integrated Transport Network (ITN) map data and Department for Transport public transport schedules. The model represents typical weekday, Saturday and Sunday operations (12914 routes with multiple scheduled services on each route). |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | A major thrust of the work of our project over the last year has been to generate the transport accessibility measures- approximately 12,000 journeys have been calculated across Scotland. |
Title | database on PA facilities and categories |
Description | developed and maintain dataset on facilities for physical activity across Scotland, including novel ways to categorise faciliies |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of Data/Biological Samples |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | informing peer reviewed papers |
Title | data on transport networks |
Description | We have developed a GIS-based public transport model for Scotland which incorporates Ordnance Survey Integrated Transport Network (ITN) map data and Department for Transport public transport schedules. The model represents typical weekday, Saturday and Sunday operations (12914 routes with multiple scheduled services on each route). |
Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | A major thrust of the work of our project over the last year has been to generate the transport accessibility measures- approximately 12,000 journeys have been calculated across Scotland. |
Title | database on PA facilities and categories |
Description | developed and maintain dataset on facilities for physical activity across Scotland, including novel ways to categorise faciliies |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | informing peer reviewed papers |
Description | CEDAR |
Organisation | UK Clinical Research Collaboration |
Department | Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | training of staff in stat techniques |
Collaborator Contribution | in kind contributions of input into study and publications. also hosted post doc researcher for study visit |
Impact | joint paper, multidisciplinary |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Deakin University, Australia |
Organisation | Deakin University |
Department | School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Deakin |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | formulated research question, developed measures of built environment, data manipulation |
Collaborator Contribution | helped to progress paper |
Impact | submitted paper, we hosted visiting professor, post doctoral researcher on our team visited Deaking University |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | UCL Transport group |
Organisation | University College London |
Department | Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | input into expert group |
Collaborator Contribution | funding application for researcher to conduct study on London car clubs |
Impact | funding for study. multi-disciplinary involving transport researchers, government transport policy officers, physical activity experts, social scientists. |
Start Year | 2010 |
Title | method for extracting transport network data |
Description | We have developed a GIS-based public transport model for Scotland which incorporates Ordnance Survey Integrated Transport Network (ITN) map data and Department for Transport public transport schedules. |
IP Reference | |
Protection | Protection not required |
Year Protection Granted | |
Licensed | No |
Impact | use models for other research |
Description | 2010 Young Statisticians meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | 20 + early career reseachers- questions and discussion new contacts made dissemiantion of NPRI research project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | 2011 Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | 30 people attended, general discussion of results and implications of research Lamb K, Ogilvie D, Ferguson N, Ellaway A. Recreational facilities within walking or cycling distance: sociospatial patterning of access in Scotland. UK Society for Behavioural Medicine 7th Annual Scientific Meeting, Stirling, December 2011. led to further collaboration |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | Australia visit to Deakin University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | 40 individuals attended a workshop- mixture of academics and policymakers increased awareness of research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | Bright SPARCS |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | 50+ attended questions and discussion raised profile of NPRI project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | HEPA conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Health professionals |
Results and Impact | presented outline of project increased awareness of project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
Description | MRC National Career Development Fellow Research day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | opportunity to present and discuss NPRI research project with others CDFs interact with peers |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | SSM 2010 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Poster Presentation |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | opportunity to discuss NPRI project - questions and discussion from other researchers raised profile of NPRI project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | presentation at transport meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | poster presentation at workshop increased awareness among policy makers |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | talka t NPRI conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | 40 people attended, discussion and questions afterwards new contacts made |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |