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Although people are living longer, well-being and quality of life (QoL) are not guaranteed. The built environment is recognized as influencing health outcomes across lifespans. This narrative revie...

Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) appear to offer great potential to study the movement and interaction of people and their working environment, including office workplaces. But little is known about appropriate durations for data collection. In this study, location observations collected from 24 office workers on a 1220 m

Background The use of government health data for secondary purposes, such as monitoring the quality of hospital services, researching the health needs of populations, and testing how well new treatments work, is increasing. This increase in the secondary uses of health data has led to increased interest in what the public thinks about data sharing, in particular, the possibilities of sharing with the private sector for research and development. Although international evidence demonstrates broad public support for the secondary use of health data, this support does not extend to sharing health data with the private sector. If governments intend to share health data with the private sector, knowing what the public thinks will be important. This paper reports a national survey to explore public attitudes in Australia toward sharing health data with private companies for research on and development of therapeutic drugs and medical devices. Objective This study aims to explore public attitudes in Australia toward sharing government health data with the private sector. Methods A web-based survey tool was developed to assess attitudes about sharing government health data with the private sector. A market research company was employed to administer the web-based survey in June 2019. Results The survey was completed by 2537 individuals residing in Australia. Between 51.8% and 57.98% of all participants were willing to share their data, with slightly fewer in favor of sharing to improve health services (51.99%) and a slightly higher proportion in favor of sharing for research and development (57.98%). There was a preference for opt-in consent (53.44%) and broad support for placing conditions on sharing health information with private companies (62% to 91.99%). Wide variability was also observed in participants’ views about the extent to which the private sector could be trusted and how well they would behave if entrusted with people’s health information. In their qualitative responses, the participants noted concerns about private sector corporate interests, corruption, and profit making and expressed doubt about the Australian government’s capacity to manage data sharing safely. The percentages presented are adjusted against the Australian population. Conclusions This nationally representative survey provides preliminary evidence that Australians are uncertain about sharing their health data with the private sector. Although just over half of all the respondents supported sharing health data with the private sector, there was also strong support for strict conditions on sharing data and for opt-in consent and significant concerns about how well the private sector would manage government health data. Addressing public concern about sharing government health data with the private sector will require more and better engagement to build community understanding about how agencies can collect, share, protect, and use their personal data.

Prolonged periods of stationary behaviour, a common occurrence in many office workplaces, is linked with a range of physical disorders. Investigating the physical context of this behaviour may be a key to developing effective interventions. This study aimed to estimate and locate the stationary and movement behaviours of office workers (n = 10) by segmenting spatiotemporal data collected over 5 days in an office work based setting. The segmentation method achieved a balanced accuracy ≥85.5% for observation classification and ≥90% for bout classification when compared to reference data. The results show the workers spent the majority of their time stationary (Mean =86.4%) and had on average, 28.4 stationary and 25.9 moving bouts per hour. While these findings accord with other studies, the segmented data was also visualised, revealing that the workers were stationary for periods ≥5 min at multiple locations and these locations changed across time.Practitioner Summary: This study applied a data segmentation method to classify stationary and moving behaviours from spatiotemporal data collected in an office workplace. The segmented data revealed not only what behaviours occurred but also their location, duration and time. Segmenting spatiotemporal data may add valuable physical context to aid workplace research.

Becoming an autonomous adult includes understanding consequences associated with risks. The aim of this study was to compare parents of children with and without disability to identify any differences in promoting manageable risk-taking. Data were collected from parents of typically developing children and parents of children with developmental disability. Two groups were matched based on parent and child chronological ages for typically developing children and children with developmental disability. These parents completed the Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale, a 16-item measure of activities adults allow their children to participate in. The total number of tolerated risks was significantly higher for the parents of typically developing children (341[79%]) than the parents of children with developmental disability (247[58%]) (p

Purpose In the rise of offices designed to support activity-based working (ABW), parts of industry have fully transitioned to open-plan environments and then later to unassigned seating, whereas other parts, such as tertiary education, are still in the process of moving away from individual offices. There are a few relevant studies to understand how occupants from industry sectors with different levels of adoption of ABW perceived environments designed to support this way of working. This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge gap by providing insight into workers’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction from open-plan offices designed to support ABW along with the key predictors of perceived productivity. Design/methodology/approach A data set of 2,090 post-occupancy evaluation surveys conducted in five sectors – tertiary education, finance, construction, property/asset management and design/engineering – was analyzed. ANOVA and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted for the survey questionnaires. First, ANOVA tests were conducted for the whole sample with perceived productivity as the dependent variable. A seven-point Likert scale with five theoretical factors was generated with all survey questionnaires. CFA was performed to show the factor loadings. In addition, regression analyses were carried out for each of factor item taken as the independent variable, where perceived productivity was the dependent variable. Key sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction per sector were analyzed and differences between occupants reporting a negative or positive impact on their productivity were also investigated. Finally, open-ended comments were analyzed to show the key sources of dissatisfaction based on open-ended comments. Findings Workers from construction were the most satisfied, followed by finance and tertiary education. Occupants from all industry sectors consistently rated their workspaces highly on biophilic and interior design. Distraction and privacy received the lowest scores from all sectors. Open-ended comments showed mismatches between spatial and behavioral dimensions of ABW both for satisfaction and perceived productivity. Interior design was the strongest predictor for perceived productivity for all sectors. Findings dispel the notion that ABW implementation may not be suitable for certain industries, as long as the three key pillars of ABW are fully implemented, including design, behavior and technology. Originality/value This paper provides insight into workers’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction from open-plan offices designed to support ABW in different industry sectors along with the key predictors of perceived productivity.

A key to the development of more effective interventions to promote movement and reduce physical inactivity in office workplaces may be to measure and locate individual's spatial movement. Using an activity space estimation method, high resolution location data collected from 15 office workers over 12 days were used to estimate and analyse the location and extent of their daily spatial movement whilst in an office work-based setting. The results indicated that the method, kernel density estimation, combined with location data offers significant opportunities to not only measure and compare spatial movement behaviours but also simultaneously identify the locations where the behaviours occur. Combined with other data streams, this method will allow researchers to further investigate the influence of different environmental characteristics on these behaviours, potentially leading the development of more effective, longer lasting interventions to promote movement and reduce stationary behaviour, ultimately improving the health of office workers.

BACKGROUND The use of government health data for secondary purposes, such as monitoring the quality of hospital services, researching the health needs of populations, and testing how well new treatments work, is increasing. This increase in the secondary uses of health data has led to increased interest in what the public thinks about data sharing, in particular, the possibilities of sharing with the private sector for research and development. Although international evidence demonstrates broad public support for the secondary use of health data, this support does not extend to sharing health data with the private sector. If governments intend to share health data with the private sector, knowing what the public thinks will be important. This paper reports a national survey to explore public attitudes in Australia toward sharing health data with private companies for research on and development of therapeutic drugs and medical devices. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore public attitudes in Australia toward sharing government health data with the private sector. METHODS A web-based survey tool was developed to assess attitudes about sharing government health data with the private sector. A market research company was employed to administer the web-based survey in June 2019. RESULTS The survey was completed by 2537 individuals residing in Australia. Between 51.8% and 57.98% of all participants were willing to share their data, with slightly fewer in favor of sharing to improve health services (51.99%) and a slightly higher proportion in favor of sharing for research and development (57.98%). There was a preference for opt-in consent (53.44%) and broad support for placing conditions on sharing health information with private companies (62% to 91.99%). Wide variability was also observed in participants’ views about the extent to which the private sector could be trusted and how well they would behave if entrusted with people’s health information. In their qualitative responses, the participants noted concerns about private sector corporate interests, corruption, and profit making and expressed doubt about the Australian government’s capacity to manage data sharing safely. The percentages presented are adjusted against the Australian population. CONCLUSIONS This nationally representative survey provides preliminary evidence that Australians are uncertain about sharing their health data with the private sector. Although just over half of all the respondents supported sharing health data with the private sector, there was also strong support for strict conditions on sharing data and for opt-in consent and significant concerns about how well the private sector would manage government health data. Addressing public concern about sharing government health data with the private sector will require more and better engagement to build community understanding about how agencies can collect, share, protect, and use their personal data.

Based on research conducted as part of the Sydney Playground Project, this paper provides an exploratory investigation of the perspectives of girls relating to the ideal school playground experience, and whether their perspectives are influenced by a loose-parts playground intervention. The focus is on the play behaviours of 22 girls aged 8–10 years, from the perspective that school playgrounds are generally designed in ways that are more suited to the play behaviours of boys. The research is based on a qualitative analysis of children’s drawings, interviews and focus groups, exploring meanings associated with desired play experiences. Findings indicate that girls’ views of the ideal school playground are influenced by the geographies of the spaces they play in, and that girls highly valued changes provided by a loose-parts intervention.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) reflects a building's performance in relation to the health, comfort and wellbeing of its occupants. Conventional IEQ measurement strategies fail to capture spatial or temporal variations in IEQ. Recent technological developments in IEQ monitoring and occupant location tracking provide opportunities to monitor IEQ across the entire floorplate of a building and to develop deeper insights into individuals' IEQ exposure. The aims of this study were 1) to establish the feasibility of synthesising continuous IEQ exposure based on high-resolution real-time location data, and 2) to investigate individuals' exposure to the indoor climate by mapping occupant location relative to IEQ. IEQ was measured continuously using 12 autonomous desk-mounted devices spread out across the office floorplate. A Real Time Location System (RTLS) tracked occupant location continuously over one month, with 47 location sensors across the research site (1220 m2) and 45 tags attached to occupants' staff-ID access cards. We estimated IEQ spatial distributions across the entire floorplate using cubic splines and fused these with occupants' high-resolution spatiotemporal coordinates. We confirm that it is possible to infer continuous exposure to IEQ conditions from diverse data sources. In this case, we identified distinct IEQ zones across the floorplate that were reflected in the exposure profiles for individual occupants. While there were several limitations to the study, future research could expand this data fusion framework to investigate IEQ relative to occupant health and wellbeing by including occupant-reported data. The framework could also be useful for future investigations aimed at simultaneously optimising building energy and occupant comfort.

Objective: To examine the effects of different sit-stand protocols on work-time sitting and physical activity (PA) of office workers. Methods: Participants (n = 26, 77% women, mean age 42) were randomly allocated to usual sitting (control) or one of three sit-stand protocols (intervention) facilitated by height-adjustable workstations for a 4-week period between June and August 2015. Sitting, standing, and stepping time were assessed by inclinometry (activPAL); leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) by self-report. One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and post-hoc (Bonferroni) tests explored between-group differences. Results: Compared with baseline, intervention groups reduced work sitting time by 113 minutes/8-hour workday (95% confidence interval [CI] [-147,-79]) and increased work standing time by 96 minutes/8-hour workday (95% CI [67,125]) without significantly impacting LTPA/sleep time. Conclusions: Sit-stand protocols facilitated by height-adjustable workstations appear to reduce office workers' sitting time without significant adverse effects on LTPA.

BACKGROUND Active Design is a relatively new concept and evaluation on its effects on healthy behaviour is lacking. OBJECTIVE To investigate Active Design influence on workplace physical activity, sedentary behaviour, musculoskeletal complaints, and perceptions of the workplace and productivity. METHODS Participants (n = 118 adults) moving from 14 workplaces into a new building completed an online questionnaire pre- and post-move. The questions related to health behaviours (physical activity, sitting time and sleep); musculoskeletal issues; perceptions of the office environment; productivity; and engagement. RESULTS After the move, 68% of participants were located in an open plan building (21% before the move). In the new workplace participants tended to sit less during their work time (72% - 66%; p

Background High levels of sitting are associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes, including chronic disease. Extensive sitting at work is common, hence organisations should provide options to employees to reduce prolonged sitting. Objective To assess the efficacy and acceptability of a co-designed intervention to increase standing and reduce sitting in a public-sector office. Methods Forty-six adults participated in the quasi-experimental study (30 intervention; 16 control). The intervention involved providing sit-stand desks, prompts, workshops, and information emails to assist behavior change. Participants wore a thigh-mounted Actigraph GT3X+ for five working days and responded to an online questionnaire at baseline (BL), 6 (T1) and 13 weeks (T2) post intervention. Results Inclinometer-measured proportion of time standing increased in the intervention group from 14% (baseline) to 28% (T1) and 27% (T2) (67 minutes more standing over an 8-hour workday). Intervention participants reduced sitting time from 79% (BL) to 63% (T1 and T2), (80 minutes less sitting over an 8-hour workday). The control group showed no changes. The program was highly recommended (94%), and perceived to support behavior change (81%). Conclusions This Move More, Sit Less intervention appears to be efficacious and acceptable. Future interventions should be co-designed to ensure culturally appropriate components and higher acceptability.

Objective Although stair climbing could contribute to daily physical activity goals, and there is potential for broad population reach, most stair climbing interventions are single-component and have limited effect. Methods In a longitudinal quasiexperimental study, a 1-month multicomponent intervention, followed by 6 months with point-of-choice prompts, was evaluated in a six-story university building. All floors climbed and lifts ascended were measured by infrared people counters. Regular building occupants were invited to participate in the Stairtember Challenge intervention component. Results During the intervention, stair climbing increased by 15%. Stair to lift ratios increased from 0.46 to 0.56 (odds ratio 1.22; 95% confidence interval 1.18 to 1.27). Conclusions The multicomponent stair climbing intervention achieved a moderate increase in average daily stair climbing and stair to lift ratio. As these effects are larger than previously found for traditional signage-based interventions, future interventions should go beyond posters for larger effects on population health.

Active travel can support the achievement of recommended levels of physical activity. Monitoring travel behavior of university students and staff provides a useful insight into patterns of regional travel and population level changes in physical activity. This study sought to evaluate current travel and physical activity behaviors in a university population and to determine whether these changed over time. An online survey of travel behavior and physical activity was conducted at the University of Sydney, Australia. The survey was actively promoted for three weeks prior to the release of the survey among staff and students, which asked about travel behavior on a specific day in September 2017. The survey questions were the same as those used in a similar online survey conducted across the University in 2012. In total, 4359 People completed the survey, representing 10.8% of staff and 4.1% of students. Approximately two thirds of survey respondents were students, in both the 2012 and 2017 surveys. Compared with 2012, there was an increase in active travel to the University in 2017 from increased walking and train travel. Compared to 2012, in 2017 there was an increase in average minutes walked by about nine minutes, and less time spent sitting. Trip lengths increased, with 68% of trips taking longer than 30 min in 2017. The amount of time spent in low&ndash, moderate levels physical activity increased between 2012 and 2017, potentially related to active travel behavior. Citywide changes towards a system-wide transport fare structure was the biggest change in the transport environment between the two surveys and may have contributed to increased train travel.

Office workers can spend significant periods of time being stationary whilst at work, with potentially serious health consequences. The development of effective health interventions could be aided by a greater understanding of the location and environmental context in which this stationary behaviour occurs. Real time location systems (RTLS) potentially offer the opportunity to gather this much needed information, but they have not been extensively trialled in office workplaces, nor rigorously compared against more familiar devices such as accelerometers. The aim of this paper was to determine whether an RTLS can measure and spatially locate the non-stationary and stationary behaviours of adults working in an office work environment. Data collected from a series of comparison studies undertaken in a commercial office building suggests that RTLS can measure the velocity at which people are moving and locate them, when stationary, with an accuracy of 0.668 m (SD 0.389). This opens up significant opportunities to further understand how people move within buildings, the indoor physical environmental influences on that movement, and the development of effective interventions to help people to move more whilst at work.

Active design is an emerging concept to incorporate physical activity into daily life through thoughtful design, and is often implemented in new building designs. It is, however, not known what evidence base there is to support the claims. Through this systematic review, the current evidence for active design was investigated. Seven databases were searched. A range of search terms relating to active design, physical activity, sitting, performance and wellbeing were used. After title and abstract screening of 1174 papers and full-text screening, 17 were selected for inclusion. The papers provided promising evidence of active design aiding a reduction in sitting and increase in standing time. Limited evidence was found for physical activity; a few studies reported an increase in step counts. Musculoskeletal effects were investigated in few studies, but there is some evidence of benefits to lower back pain. There was consistent evidence for better light and air quality, but no evidence for other features of the workplace environment. No conclusive evidence was found on associations between active design features and work performance. There is hence some evidence to support the benefit of active design on physical health; however, the dearth and heterogeneity of the study designs, measures and findings warrant further research.

Issue addressed Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves repeated sampling of current behaviours and experiences in real-time at random intervals. EMA is an innovative measurement method for program evaluation, using mobile technology (e.g. smartphones) to collect valid contextual health promotion data with good compliance. The present study examined the feasibility of using EMA for measuring workplace health outcomes. Methods Twenty-two office-based adults were prompted at four random times per work-day during a 5-day period to respond to a short survey via a smartphone application. The prompting stopped when participants had either responded 12 times or the 5-day period had ended. The questions pertained to posture, task currently being undertaken, social interactions, musculoskeletal issues, mood, and perceptions of engagement and creativity. Results In total 156 responses were collected. Nine participants completed all 12 surveys; the average completion rate was 58% (7/12). The average completion time was initially 50s and reduced to 24s during the later surveys. On average the participants were sitting and standing in 79% and 14% of survey instances, respectively. The participants reported they were working alone at their desks in 68% of instances. Reported productivity and stress were on average 6 and 3 out of 10, respectively, but varied up to 6-8 points within one person, hence the method appears sensitive to temporal variations in perceptions and mood. Conclusion Given the rich real-time data, minimal participant burden and use of readily available technology, EMA has substantial potential in workplace health promotion evaluation through the measurement of participants' well being, activities, and behaviour change. So what? An in-the-moment method using readily available mobile technology to assess participants' perceptions, mood and activity that provides rich information with minimal participant burden is a promising way to evaluate future health promotion programs.

Background: Prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. Workplace programs that aim to reduce sitting time (sit less) and increase physical activity (move more) have targeted desk-based workers in corporate and university settings with promising results. However, little is known about ‘move more, sit less’ programs for workers in other types of jobs and industries, such as shift workers. This formative research examines the perceptions of a ‘sit less, move more’ program in an Australian Emergency Call Centre that operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Methods: Participants were employees (N = 39, 72% female, 50% aged 36–55 years) recruited from Emergency Services control centres located in New South Wales, Australia. The ‘sit less, move more’ intervention, consisting of emails, posters and timer lights, was co-designed with the management team and tailored to the control centre environment and work practices, which already included electronic height-adjustable sit-stand workstations for all call centre staff. Participants reported their perceptions and experiences of the intervention in a self-report online questionnaire, and directly to the research team during regular site visits. Questionnaire topics included barriers and facilitators to standing while working, mental wellbeing, effects on work performance, and workplace satisfaction. Field notes and open-ended response data were analysed in an iterative process during and after data collection to identify the main themes. Results: Whilst participants already had sit-stand workstations, use of the desks in the standing position varied and sometimes were contrary to expectations (e.g, less tired standing than sitting; standing when experiencing high call stress). Participants emphasised the “challenging” and “unrelenting” nature of their work. They reported sleep issues (“always tired”), work stress (“non-stop demands”), and feeling mentally and physically drained due to shift work and length of shifts. Overall, participants liked the initiative but acknowledged that their predominantly sitting habits were entrenched and work demands took precedence. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the low acceptability of a ‘sit less, move more’ program in shift workers in high stress environments like emergency call centres. Work demands take priority and other health concerns, like poor sleep and high stress, may be more salient than the need to sit less and move more during work shifts.

Longitudinal observational cohort.The impact of ankle fracture on physical activity and sitting time and the course of recovery of physical activity are unclear.To assess the course of recovery of physical activity after ankle fracture and the extent to which this population may be less physically active and more sedentary than the general population.A cohort of individuals with ankle fracture was derived from a randomized trial and assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) at immobilization removal and 1, 3, and 6 months later. Total metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week were calculated to evaluate the course of recovery of physical activity. Sitting time (minutes per day) and the percentage of those who met the World Health Organization physical activity guidelines were calculated. Normative data were derived from a population-based cohort study that assessed physical activity using the IPAQ-SF.In people with ankle fracture (n = 214), physical activity increased in the first month (from a median of 99 at immobilization removal to 979 MET min/wk) and leveled off by 6 months (1386 MET min/wk). Only 22% of the ankle fracture cohort met World Health Organization guidelines at immobilization removal, compared to 80% of the cohort from the general population (P.001). This difference diminished over time. Sitting time in the ankle fracture cohort was higher than population norms at all time points (P.001).People with ankle fracture are less physically active and more sedentary than the general population. Strategies to increase physical activity must be considered. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognosis, level 4.

BACKGROUND Occupying new, active design office buildings designed for health promotion and connectivity provides an opportunity to evaluate indoor environment effects on healthy behaviour, sedentariness and workplace perceptions. AIMS To determine if moving to a health-promoting building changed workplace physical activity, sedentary behaviour, workplace perceptions and productivity. METHODS Participants from four locations at the University of Sydney, Australia, relocated into a new active design building. After consent, participants completed an online questionnaire 2 months before moving and 2 months after. Questions related to health behaviours (physical activity and sitting time), musculoskeletal issues, perceptions of the office environment, productivity and engagement. RESULTS There were 34 participants (60% aged 25-45, 78% female, 84% employed full-time); 21 participants provided complete data. Results showed that after the move participants spent less work time sitting (83-70%; P < 0.01) and more time standing (9-21%; P < 0.01), while walking time remained unchanged. Participants reported less low back pain (P < 0.01). Sixty per cent of participants in the new workplace were in an open-plan office, compared to 16% before moving. Participants perceived the new work environment as more stimulating, better lit and ventilated, but noisier and providing less storage. No difference was reported in daily physical activity, number of stairs climbed or productivity. CONCLUSIONS Moving to an active design building appeared to have physical health-promoting effects on workers, but workers' perceptions about the new work environment varied. These results will inform future studies in other new buildings.

ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between school playground size and total physical activity (PA), fitness and fundamental movement skills (FMS) of primary school students.DesignCross-sectional ecological analysis.Setting43 primary schools in New South Wales, Australia.ParticipantsData were from 5238 students, aged 5 to 12 years, participating in the Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey.Outcome measuresSelf (for age ≥11 years) and parent (for age ResultsAssociations between playground space and measures of PA and fitness were mostly non-linear and moderated by loose equipment. Students in schools with no loose equipment showed a weak association between space and meeting PA recommendations (self-report). In schools with equipment, students’ predicted probability of meeting PA recommendations increased sharply between 15 m2 and 25 m2 per student from 0.04 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.08) to 0.30 (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.46), but at 30 m2 returned to levels comparable to students in schools with no equipment (0.18, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.28). For cardiorespiratory fitness, in schools with no loose equipment, probabilities for being in the healthy cardiovascular fitness zone varied between 0.66 and 0.77, showing no consistent trend. Students in schools with loose equipment had a predicted probability of being in the healthy fitness zone of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.71) at 15 m2 per student, which rose to 0.75 (95% CI: 0.63 to 0.86) at 20 m2 per student. There was no relationship between space and FMS.ConclusionsSchool space guidelines need to incorporate sufficient playground space for students. Our study provides evidence supporting better PA outcomes with increasing space up to 25 m2 per student, and access to loose equipment, however further research is required to determine precise thresholds for minimum space. Intersectoral planning and cooperation is required to meet the needs of growing school populations.

This study aimed to explore the trend in population levels, as well as the correlates, of occupational and leisure sitting time in full-time employed Australian adults between 2007 and 2015. We used data from the 2007/08, 2011/12 and 2014/15 Australian Health Surveys, in which nationally representative samples of the Australian population were interviewed. Full-time (35 hours/week) employed respondents reported sitting time at work and during leisure on a usual workday. Trends over time and associations between socio-demographic and health-related characteristics and sitting time were analysed in the combined dataset using multivariable logistic regression models. Over 21,000 observations were included in the analyses. Across the three surveys, approximately 51% of the respondents reported 4 hours/workday occupational sitting time, 40% reported 4 hours/workday leisure sitting time, and 55% reported 7 hours/workday combined occupational and leisure sitting time. There were no clear trends over time. All potential correlates were associated with occupational sitting time and all but educational level were associated with leisure sitting time. The directions of the associations with gender, age and leisure-time physical activity were reversed for occupational sitting time and leisure sitting time. These findings show that the average levels of occupational and leisure sitting time on workdays were high but stable over the past decade. The observed differences in correlates of occupational and leisure sitting time demonstrate the need to assess and address sedentary behaviour domains separately in research and policy.

As part of a cluster randomized controlled trial (Bundy et al., 2017), the after school-hours activities of 5-7 year old children were recorded by parents and other adult carers on four consecutive weekdays between 3:30pm-7:00pm. Records of time use showed most time was spent indoors in activities involving low levels of physical activity. The most-frequently-recorded activity was screen time, accounting for approximately one quarter of all activities. Higher levels of physical activity were reported when children were outdoors (19.5% of time) and/or with peers (9.58%). If an adult was present, highest activity levels of children occurred when the child was with a teacher/carer (6.07%). Although concern is frequently raised about children spending too much time in organized activities, these structured forms of out-of-school choices accounted for only 8.09% of recordings. The results of the current study strengthen the evidence base, supporting the need to optimise out-ofschool times with more developmentally important social and physical contexts. We discuss ways in which context may support or inhibit opportunities physical activity in after school-hours activities.

Issue addressed: Workplace physical activity programs can motivate inactive target groups to increase daily activity levels, but it is important to determine their reach and impact. Methods: The Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) is a team-based program promoting pedometer-based self-monitoring to reach 10 000 steps per day. Participants (n = 587) from an Australian university were recruited and recorded their daily step counts. Demographic, anthropometric, behavioural, self-reported physical activity and sitting time data were collected at baseline and following the 16-week program. Results: On average, participants self-estimated 11 638 daily steps in Week 1, increasing to measured estimates of 13 787 daily steps in Week 16 (P Conclusions: Although this pedometer-based program resulted in increases in physical activity and reductions in occupational sedentary behaviour, most participants were already meeting physical activity recommendations at baseline.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the effectiveness of a simple intervention for increasing children's physical activity, play, perceived competence/social acceptance, and social skills. METHODS: A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which schools were the clusters. Twelve Sydney (Australia) primary schools were randomly allocated to intervention or control conditions, with 226 children (5-7 years old) selected randomly to participate. Data were collected at baseline and after 13 weeks. The intervention consisted of introducing recycled materials without an obvious play purpose into school playgrounds and a risk-reframing workshop for parents and teachers. RESULTS: Children from the intervention schools increased physical activity and reduced sedentary time while control schools decreased physical activity and increased sedentary time. The intervention yielded increases in total accelerometer counts (β = 9350 counts, 95% CI 3490-1522, p =.002), minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (β = 1.8 min, 95% CI 0.52-3.12, p =.006), and reductions in sedentary time (β = −2.1 min, 95% CI −3.77-(−0.51), p =.01). Although the changes in time spent in play and nonplay were not statistically different (p =.08) the effect size (d =.27) indicates clinical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This intervention was effective for increasing MVPA during recess and demonstrated capacity to improve play opportunities in school playgrounds. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Physical inactivity is the fourth most important risk factor contributing to global non-communicable disease (NCD) deaths, occurring in high-, middle- and low-income countries. Building capacity in NCD prevention is a daunting task, and toward this end, an introductory open online course about physical activity (PA), exercise, and NCD prevention was developed. This was led by academics from the University of Sydney and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity. The course was designed to address the needs of participants from areas where geography and economy would often prevent them from participating in NCD training programs. Around 120 participants from four continents signed up for the six-week online course, with the greatest numbers from the host country (Australia) followed by participants from Pacific Island nations and from the Middle East. The course consisted of video lectures, quizzes, and online discussions facilitated by experts. More than a third of the participants fully completed the course, which received very positive participant evaluations. This also included completion of relevant quiz questions on each section of the PA course, and averaged over 70% correct responses. This successful online course has the potential to increase knowledge and skills about PA and prevention, as part of building global capacity in NCD prevention at low cost, and importantly within easy reach of potentially isolated practitioners.

Introduction: With two thirds of adults in paid employment and one third physically inactive, workplaces are an important setting for promoting more physical activity. We explored the attitudes and practices of employees and managers from different industries towards sitting and moving at work, to inform the development of acceptable solutions for encouraging businesses to adopt activity-promoting workplaces. Method: We conducted focus groups with employees and structured interviews with upper/middle managers from 12 organisations in a range of industries (e.g., education, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, insurance, mining). Topics focused on past and current workplace health and wellness initiatives, workplace culture and environment related to physical activity, responsibility for employee physical activity patterns at work, and enablers of/barriers to activity promoting workplaces. Results: Physical activity was not an explicit priority in existing occupational health and wellness initiatives. Instead, there was a strong focus on education about preventing and managing injuries, such as manual handling among non-office workers and desk-based ergonomics for office workers. Physical activity was viewed as a strategy for maintaining work ability and preventing injury, particularly in blue-collar staff, rather than for chronic disease prevention. Managers noted structural/organisational barriers/enablers to promoting physical activity at work (e.g., regulations, costs, competing concerns), while employees tended to focus on individual constraints such as time and geographic location. The issues of "initiative overload" and making physical activity a part of &ldquo, business as usual&rdquo, emerged as strong themes from employees and managers. Conclusions: While there is stakeholder enthusiasm for creating activity-promoting workplaces, multi-level support is needed to make physical activity an integral part of day-to-day business. The synergism between occupational health and safety priorities could be leveraged to facilitate the creation of activity-promoting workplaces.

This paper reports the results of risk reframing, an intervention to offer parents and educators a context for building new and complex perceptions of risk in children’s outdoor free play. Our objective was to alter these adults’ perceptions of risk to increase the sustainability of an innovative child-centred playground intervention. Qualitative data in the form of audio-recordings of risk-reframing sessions, brief participant evaluations and field notes kept by project staff were collected and either transcribed in their entirety or summarised in brief written reports. These data were subjected to constant comparative analysis to identify emergent themes. Results suggest that educators and parents benefit from opportunities to share risk perceptions and discuss the costs and benefits for offering outdoor free play to children to achieve their common goals for children: health, happiness and resilience.

Objective: To examine trends in leisure time physical activity and inactivity in Australians aged 15 years or older from 1989 to 2011. Method: We used data from six Australian National Health Surveys conducted from 1989/90 to 2011/12 in which physical activity was assessed using comparable questions. Analyses examined trends in the prevalence of sufficient physical activity (≥150 minutes/week moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) and of inactivity (

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an activity-based work (ABW) office environment on physical activity and sedentary behavior, work ability, and musculoskeletal discomfort.Eighty-eight office workers trialed ABW for 4 weeks. Accelerometer and self-reported outcomes were measured at baseline, end-intervention, and follow-up. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models.Accelerometry measured sedentary time; sedentary breaks and step count did not significantly change from baseline to end-intervention (P = 0.13, 0.09, 0.18, respectively). Self-reported sitting-time was 14% lower, with standing-time and walking 11% and 3% higher in ABW than baseline (P 0.01 for all). Low back pain was lower in ABW than baseline (odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 3.7). Work ability reduced from 8.4 to 7.8 points (P 0.01) at follow-up.ABW environment appears to reduce self-reported sedentary behavior and low back pain and increase standing time.

We tackle the important problem of understanding the accuracy of activity tracker data. To do this, we introduce the notions of daily and hourly adherence, key aspects of how consistently people wear trackers. We hypothesise that these measures provide a valuable means to address accuracy problems in population level activity tracking data. To test this, we conducted a semester-long study of 237 University students: 88 Information Technology, 149 Medical Science. We illustrate how our adherence measures provide new ways to interpret data and valuable insights that take account of tracker data accuracy. Finally, we discuss broader roles for daily and hourly adherence measures in activity tracker data.

Issue addressed Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves repeated sampling of current behaviours and experiences in real-time at random intervals. EMA is an innovative measurement method for program evaluation, using mobile technology (e.g. smartphones) to collect valid contextual health promotion data with good compliance. The present study examined the feasibility of using EMA for measuring workplace health outcomes. Methods Twenty-two office-based adults were prompted at four random times per work-day during a 5-day period to respond to a short survey via a smartphone application. The prompting stopped when participants had either responded 12 times or the 5-day period had ended. The questions pertained to posture, task currently being undertaken, social interactions, musculoskeletal issues, mood, and perceptions of engagement and creativity. Results In total 156 responses were collected. Nine participants completed all 12 surveys; the average completion rate was 58% (7/12). The average completion time was initially 50s and reduced to 24s during the later surveys. On average the participants were sitting and standing in 79% and 14% of survey instances, respectively. The participants reported they were working alone at their desks in 68% of instances. Reported productivity and stress were on average 6 and 3 out of 10, respectively, but varied up to 6-8 points within one person, hence the method appears sensitive to temporal variations in perceptions and mood. Conclusion Given the rich real-time data, minimal participant burden and use of readily available technology, EMA has substantial potential in workplace health promotion evaluation through the measurement of participants' well being, activities, and behaviour change. So what? An in-the-moment method using readily available mobile technology to assess participants' perceptions, mood and activity that provides rich information with minimal participant burden is a promising way to evaluate future health promotion programs.