Physical Activity Levels, Correlates, and All-Cause Mortality Risk in People Living With Different Health Conditions.

Background: To better understand physical activity behavior and its health benefits in people living with health conditions, we studied people with and without 20 different self-reported health conditions with regard to (1) their physical activity levels, (2) factors correlated with these physical activity levels, and (3) the association between physical activity and all-cause mortality.

Methods: We used a subsample (n = 88,659) of the Lifelines cohort study from the Netherlands. For people living with and without 20 different self-reported health conditions, we studied the aforementioned factors in relation to physical activity.

Stability of clustering of lifestyle risk factors in the Dutch adult population and the association with mental health.

Background: Lifestyle factors often co-occur in clusters. This study examines whether clusters of lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol use, physical inactivity, poor diet, sexual risk behaviour, cannabis and other drug use, change over time in a representative sample of Dutch adults. Additionally, the association between mental health and self-reported depression of lifestyle clusters was examined.

Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity-GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys.

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries.

Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys.

[The Lifestyle Monitor: prevalence rates for health policy].

The Lifestyle Monitor (LSM) was launched in 2013 on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports to reorganize the multiple data collections in the field of lifestyle and health in the Netherlands. The reorganization should enhance the efficiency and coherence of the lifestyle and health data collections and should provide unambiguous figures for policymakers. This article describes the background and content (including the lifestyle-themes) of the LSM and the tasks and roles of the collaborating parties involved.

An inventory of national surveillance systems assessing physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sport participation of adults in the European Union.

Background: Physical inactivity has been recognised as a global public health problem that requires concerted action. This calls for systematic physical activity (PA) surveillance as a mechanism for assessing the problem and evaluating the effectiveness of related policies. Because countries tend to design their policy measures based on national surveillance data, here we present an inventory of existing national surveillance systems on PA, sedentary behaviour (SB) and sport participation (SP) among adult population in all European Union (EU) Member States.

Development of national physical activity recommendations in 18 EU member states: a comparison of methodologies and the use of evidence.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to compare how member states of the European Union (EU) develop their national physical activity (PA) recommendations and to provide an overview of the methodologies they apply in doing so. Information was collected directly from the physical activity focal points of EU member states in 2018. Five countries were chosen for detailed case study analysis of development processes.

The added value of using the HEPA PAT for physical activity policy monitoring: a four-country comparison.

Background: Public policy is increasingly recognized as an important component of physical activity promotion. This paper reports on the current status of physical activity policy development and implementation in four European countries based on the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT) developed by WHO. It compares the findings to previous studies and discusses the general utility of this tool and its unique features in relation to other instruments.

Exploring mechanisms underlying the relationship between the natural outdoor environment and health and well-being - Results from the PHENOTYPE project.

Background: Despite the large number of studies on beneficial effects of the natural outdoor environment (NOE) on health, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.

Objective: This study explored the relations between amount, quality, use and experience of the NOE; and physical activity, social contacts and mental well-being.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data on GIS-derived measures of residential surrounding greenness (NDVI), NOE within 300 m, and audit data on quality of the streetscape were combined with questionnaire data from 3947 adults in four European cities.

Chronically ill patients' preferences for a financial incentive in a lifestyle intervention. Results of a discrete choice experiment.

Background: The preferences of diabetes type 2 patients and cardiovascular disease patients for a financial incentive added to a specified combined lifestyle intervention were investigated.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment questionnaire was filled out by 290 diabetes type 2 patients (response rate 29.9%).

Dog ownership, the natural outdoor environment and health: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Dog owners walking their dog in natural outdoor environments (NOE) may benefit from the physical activity facilitated by dog walking and from time spent in nature. However, it is unclear whether dog owners receive additional health benefits associated with having access to NOE above the physical activity benefit of walking with their dog. We investigated associations between dog ownership, walking, time spent in NOE and health and whether these associations differed among those with good and poor access to NOE and those living in green and less green areas.

Living Close to Natural Outdoor Environments in Four European Cities: Adults' Contact with the Environments and Physical Activity.

This study investigated whether residential availability of natural outdoor environments (NOE) was associated with contact with NOE, overall physical activity and physical activity in NOE, in four different European cities using objective measures. A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in Barcelona (Spain); Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom); Doetinchem (The Netherlands); and Kaunas (Lithuania). Smartphones were used to collect information on the location and physical activity (overall and NOE) of around 100 residents of each city over seven days.

Greener living environment healthier people?: Exploring green space, physical activity and health in the Doetinchem Cohort Study.

Background: Evidence is emerging that more green space in the living environment is associated with better health, partly via the pathway of physical activity.

Objectives: We explored the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between green space and physical activity and several health indicators in the Doetinchem Cohort Study.

Methods: A random sample of men and women aged 20-59years at baseline was measured max 5 times with 5year-intervals in the period 1987-2012.

Independent and combined effects of physical activity and body mass index on the development of Type 2 Diabetes - a meta-analysis of 9 prospective cohort studies.

Background: The aim of this harmonized meta-analysis was to examine the independent and combined effects of physical activity and BMI on the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Our systematic literature review in 2011 identified 127 potentially relevant prospective studies of which 9 fulfilled the inclusion criteria (total N = 117,878, 56.2 % female, mean age = 50.

Health in All Policies? The case of policies to promote bicycle use in the Netherlands.

To gather insight on how Health in All Policies (HiAP) is applied in practice, we carried out a case study on transport policies intended to stimulate a shift from car use to bicycling. We reviewed 3 years (2010, 2011, and 2012) of national budgets and policy documents in the Netherlands, followed by two focus group sessions and a second round of document analysis. We found to our surprise, given the country's history of bicycle promotion, that no HiAP approaches for bicycle promotion remain in place in national transport policies.

Transport choice when travelling to a sports facility: the role of perceived route features - Results from a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands.

Background: Physical activity and sedentary behaviour are independently associated with health outcomes, where physical activity (PA) is associated with health benefits and sedentary behaviour is associated with health risks. One possible strategy to counteract sedentary behaviour is to stimulate active transport use. As monitoring studies in the Netherlands have shown that among sedentary people the proportion of adults who engage in sports (hereafter: sports practitioners) is 62.

How combined trip purposes are associated with transport choice for short distance trips. Results from a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands.

Background: One way to increase physical activity is to stimulate a shift from car use to walking or cycling. In single-purpose trips, purpose was found to be an important predictor of transport choice. However, as far as known, no studies have been conducted to see how trips with combined purposes affect this decision.

Positive health effects of the natural outdoor environment in typical populations in different regions in Europe (PHENOTYPE): a study programme protocol.

Introduction: Growing evidence suggests that close contact with nature brings benefits to human health and well-being, but the proposed mechanisms are still not well understood and the associations with health remain uncertain. The Positive Health Effects of the Natural Outdoor environment in Typical Populations in different regions in Europe (PHENOTYPE) project investigates the interconnections between natural outdoor environments and better human health and well-being.

Aims And Methods: The PHENOTYPE project explores the proposed underlying mechanisms at work (stress reduction/restorative function, physical activity, social interaction, exposure to environmental hazards) and examines the associations with health outcomes for different population groups.

Personal and environmental characteristics associated with choice of active transport modes versus car use for different trip purposes of trips up to 7.5 kilometers in The Netherlands.

Introduction: This explorative study examines personal and neighbourhood characteristics associated with short-distance trips made by car, bicycle or walking in order to identify target groups for future interventions.

Methods: Data were derived from 'Mobility Research Netherlands (2004-2009; MON)', a dataset including information regarding trips made by household members (n = ±53,000 respondents annually). Using postal codes of household addresses, MON data were enriched with data on neighbourhood typologies.

Cross-sectional associations of objectively measured physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and anthropometry in European adults.

Objective: To quantify the independent associations between objectively measured physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and anthropometry in European men and women.

Methods: 2,056 volunteers from 12 centers across Europe were fitted with a heart rate and movement sensor at 2 visits 4 months apart for a total of 8 days. CRF (ml/kg/min) was estimated from an 8 minute ramped step test.

Validity of a short questionnaire to assess physical activity in 10 European countries.

To accurately examine associations of physical activity (PA) with disease outcomes, a valid method of assessing free-living activity is required. We examined the validity of a brief PA questionnaire (PAQ) used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). PA energy expenditure (PAEE) and time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was measured in 1,941 healthy individuals from 10 European countries using individually-calibrated combined heart-rate and movement sensing.

The SQUASH was a more valid tool than the OBiN for categorizing adults according to the Dutch physical activity and the combined guideline.

Objective: To examine whether the "Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health-enhancing physical activity" (SQUASH) and the "Injuries and Physical Activity in the Netherlands" questionnaire ("Ongevallen en Bewegen in Nederland," OBiN) were valid in assessing adherence to physical activity (PA) guidelines.

Study Design And Setting: Participants (N=187) aged 20-69 years were categorized as "inactive," "semiactive," or "norm-active" according to the Dutch PA, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the combined guideline (adhering to either or both of two other guidelines) by the questionnaires and a combined heart rate monitor and accelerometer (Actiheart). Percentage of exact agreement and maximum disagreement (difference of two categories) for the categorization between questionnaires and Actiheart was calculated.