Associations between Public Transport Accessibility around Homes and Schools and Walking and Cycling among Adolescents.

Good public transport accessibility is associated with active travel, but this is under-researched among adolescents. We tested associations between public transport accessibility and active travel among school-going adolescents (12-18 years; = 1329) from Melbourne, Australia analysing Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity data. Outcomes included main mode of transport to school and accumulating ≥20 min of active travel over the day.

Better transport accessibility, better health: a health economic impact assessment study for Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Physical inactivity is a global public health problem, partly due to urbanization and increased use of passive modes of transport such as private motor vehicles. Improving accessibility to public transport could be an effective policy for Governments to promote equity and efficiency within transportation systems, increase population levels of physical activity and reduce the negative externalities of motor vehicle use. Quantitative estimates of the health impacts of improvements to public transport accessibility may be useful for resource allocation and priority-setting, however few studies have been published to inform this decision-making.

Daily Walking among Commuters: A Cross-Sectional Study of Associations with Residential, Work, and Regional Accessibility in Melbourne, Australia (2012-2014).

Background: Most research on walking for transport has focused on the walkability of residential neighborhoods, overlooking the contribution of places of work/study and the ease with which destinations outside the immediate neighborhood can be accessed, referred to as regional accessibility.

Objectives: We aimed to examine if local accessibility/walkability around place of work/study and regional accessibility are independently and interactively associated with walking.

Methods: A sample of 4,913 adult commuters was derived from a household travel survey in Melbourne, Australia (2012-2014).

Dietary adequacy of vitamin D and calcium among Inuit and Inuvialuit women of child-bearing age in Arctic Canada: a growing concern.

Background: Arctic populations are at an increased risk of vitamin D inadequacy due to geographic latitude and a nutrition transition. This study aimed to assess the adequacy of dietary vitamin D and calcium among women of child-bearing age in Arctic Canada.

Methods: This study collected data from 203 randomly selected women of child-bearing age (19-44 years) in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Arctic Canada.

Vitamin D deficiency and disease risk among aboriginal Arctic populations.

Aboriginal populations living above the Arctic Circle are at particularly high risk of vitamin D deficiency due to limited ultraviolet B exposure (related to geographic latitude) and inadequate dietary intake (recently related to decreased traditional food consumption). Major changes in diet and lifestyle over the past 50 years in these populations have coincided with increased prevalence rates of rickets, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, each of which may be associated with vitamin D inadequacy. This review examines the risk factors for vitamin D inadequacy, the associations between vitamin D and disease risk at high geographic latitudes, and the recommendations for improving vitamin D status particularly among aboriginal Arctic populations.

The value of experiential education in dietetics.

A survey was sent to 2000 Registered Dietitians (RD) who passed the national registration exam between 1996 and 1999. RDs were asked to self-report their perceived value of professional preparation attained from four areas of dietetic education: didactic program, supervised practice, work experience, and continuing education. Five questions in the survey asked RDs to estimate the contribution of these four areas, in percentage, to their ability, confidence, knowledge, skills and competence as an RD.