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Walking for transport can contribute significantly to health-enhancing physical activity. We examined the associations of stages of motivational readiness for active transport with perceived barriers and incentives to walking to and from university among students. Mail-back surveys were completed by 781 students in a regional university in south-east Queensland. They identified one of eight options on motivational readiness for active commuting, which were then classified as: pre-contemplation; contemplation-preparation; or, action-maintenance. Open-ended questions were used to identify relevant barriers and incentives. Logistic regressions were used to examine the barriers and incentives that distinguished between those at different stages of motivational readiness. Barriers most frequently reported were long travel distances, inconvenience and time constraints. Incentives most frequently reported were shorter travel distance, having more time, supportive infrastructure and better security. Those not considering active commuting (pre-contemplation) were significantly more likely to report shorter travel distance as an incentive compared to those in contemplation-preparation. Those in contemplation-preparation were significantly more likely to report lack of motivation, inadequate infrastructure, shorter travel distance and inconvenience as barriers; and, having more time, supportive infrastructure, social support and incentive programs as encouragement. Different barriers and incentives to walking to or from university exist for students in the different stages of motivational readiness for active commuting. Interventions targeted specifically to stage of motivational readiness may be potentially helpful in increasing activity levels, through active transport. For students contemplating active transport options, environmental and policy strategies to improve walking infrastructure, as well as initiatives to change perceptions of environmental barriers, may be effective approaches. Public transport can make an important contribution to increasing walking as part of the journey to and from university, especially for students not in close proximity.

Walking for transport can contribute significantly to health-enhancing physical activity. We examined the prevalence and duration of walking to and from school, together with perceived influences on doing so, among parents of primary school children. Questionnaires were completed by parents from four primary schools (one government and three private) located in south-east Queensland (n=559; 40% response rate). Eighteen per cent of parents reported walking for at least 10 minutes during journeys to school. Significantly greater proportions of parents with only one car in their household, with a child who attended a government school, with no driver's licence, who had less than 11 years of education, and lived within two kilometres of the school walked for at least 10 minutes during the school journey. Factors perceived by parents most strongly to influence walking to school were: being physically active; safety concerns for the child walking alone; not having to park; walking being the child's preferred option; too much motor vehicle traffic; and their child's age and level of road sense. Despite the overall low prevalence of walking to school by parents, health-enhancing benefits may be achieved even when other modes of transport are used in conjunction with walking. Policies and campaigns on walking to school could target parents and children simultaneously. School proximity to residential areas and school catchment policies can help to promote a supportive environment for walking to school. Reduced traffic speed and volume and other physical and social innovations in schools and local communities that address influences will also be important.

Objectives: The study explores the risk and protective factors for current depressive symptomatology in a large community sample of 15‐to‐24‐year‐olds. MethodsThe study was designed as a cross‐sectional household survey, which used telephone recruitment followed by an anonymous self‐report postal questionnaire. The final sample included 3,082 adolescents and young adults from Queensland, Australia. Results: The vast majority of measured risk and protective factors were associated with current depressive symptomatology. Key risk factors included high levels of neuroticism, perceived problems with parents, sexual abuse, relationship breakups, educational failure and sexual identity conflict. A different profile of protective factors was evident for each of these high‐risk groups. Of particular note was the importance of well‐developed intrapersonal skills as protective for both males and females. The significance of social connectedness as a protective factor for the males overall and across a range of high risk groups was a central finding. Conclusions and implications: The implications of these findings in relation to a range of mental health promotion and mental illness prevention and early intervention initiatives are discussed. Supported initiatives include parenting programs that consider the realities of modern families, increasing community awareness of the impact on young people of the breakdown of their intimate relationships, initiatives in educational settings and workplaces to increase tolerance of gay/lesbian and bisexual lifestyles and the enhancement of social connectedness.

The study explores the risk and protective factors for current depressive symptomatology in a large community sample of 15‐to‐24‐year‐olds.

To provide prevalence data on several key mental health indicators for young people aged 15 to 24 years.

Objective:To provide prevalence data on several key mental health indicators for young people aged 15 to 24 years. Methods:A cross‐sectional household survey, using telephone recruitment followed by a postal pencil‐and‐paper questionnaire. The overall response rate was 67.3%. Results:Difficulties with interpersonal relationships are common causes of distress for young people, in particular problems with parents, problems with friends and relationship break‐ups. Depressive symptomatology is common among young people with approximately one in eight males and one in four females reporting current depressive symptomatology. One in three young people reported that they had had suicidal thoughts at some time in the past, 1.2% of young people reported that they had made a plan on how to kill themselves in the four‐week period prior to completing the survey and 6.9% of young people reported that they had tried to kill themselves at some time during their life time (4.2% of males and 9.0% of females). Conclusions and implications:The prevalence figures for the various mental health indicators presented in this paper represent good baseline information upon which to examine the progress over time of interventions designed to improve the mental health of young people.

Psychosocial factors associated with young women's own alcohol consumption, and that of their fathers, were assessed in a sample of 231 females (mean age: 18.0 years) from the Hunter Region, NSW, Australia. Consistent with prior research, we found some evidence of poorer adjustment in girls who drank heavily and among daughters of high drinkers. In addition, we found that the "psychosocial profiles" associated with girls' and fathers' drinking were quite different, which argues against a simple additive model which might predict poorer adjustment in high drinking daughters of high drinking men. One interesting finding was that discordance between girls' and fathers' drinking patterns was independently related to some psychosocial problems.

There is strong evidence that religiosity among adolescents is associated with delayed onset of sexual activity. However, research on relationships between religiosity and contraceptive practices is limited and inconsistent. This paper provides data from a survey of 374 students aged between 16 and 21 at two Brisbane universities (72.4 per cent response rate). Those who perceived religion to be important in their lives were less likely to have had intercourse. Among the sexually active sample, religious youth did not differ from their peers in recent condom use, the age at which they first used condoms or the rate of partner change. Contrary to several recent assertions in review articles, this and other empirical studies do not show that religious youth are less likely than nonreligious youth to take precautions during sex.