Active Travel – Active Lives Shirley O’Shea Senior Health Promotion Officer Health Services Executive, Ireland Am going to being with doing my bit for Irish Tourism, We have had the Queen and Barack Obama, and its hard to see why people would not want to visit Ireland.

Cork- Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities To Visit in 2010

Health in all policies The health of the population is largely determined by policies and actions beyond the health sector

Our sedentary lifestyles . . . contribute to many preventable causes of death

Chronic Disease By the 1940’s public health strategies combined with medicine had “conquered” infectious disease Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, are now the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 60% of all deaths. Physical inactivity and unhealthy diets are second only to tobacco as risk factors for premature death in Ireland

Obesity in Ireland 38% of Irish adults are overweight 23% of Irish adults are obese (SLAN 2007) Among 7 year olds - 18% of boys & 27% of girls were either overweight or obese (WHO-European Obesity Surveillance Initiative: Ireland 2008) 2nd round 2010 measuring 7 + 9 year olds Among 5-12year olds - 20% of boys & 25% of girls were overweight or obese (IUNA National Children’s Food Survey, 2005) Among 13 – 17 yrs - 19% of boys ( 13% 1990) & 17% of girls (15% 1990) are overweight or obese (IUNA 2007)

Effects of Obesity on Health Excessive body weight is associated with various diseases, particularly  Cardiovascular Diseases,  Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, Obstructive sleep apnea, Certain types of cancer, Osteoarthritis  As a result, obesity has been found to reduce life expectancy

“Obesogenic Environment” We are playing more sport than previous generations but our activities of daily living are more sedentary (ESRI) We live in an environment that is conducive to weight gain Changing behaviour – risk of relapse, more difficult Change in environment / infrastructure – permanent! (Workplace Smoking Ban) Physical activity promotion alone will not address obesity

Tackling Obesity - Multi-sectoral responsibility

Foresight report considered a wide range of influences on the walkability or cyclability of an area including measures that could be objectively measured such as acess to destinations, urban form and aesthetics as well as those subject to personal perceptions such as safety, local knowledge, convenience

Choosing active forms of travel can bring about immediate health benefits for individuals primarily from increasing their levels of PA. Population level benefits acrue when more people switch from car travel to walking and cycling

Improved Physical Activity levels Significant association between mode of commuting and PA Incorporating PA into everyday activities is the most sustainable way of increasing it Replacing short car trips with walking and cycling presents a major opportunity for improving levels of PA for everyone Substituting car travel with public transport usually involves walking to and from transport interchanges and increases PA levels

Health Benefits of Being Active increased life expectancy reduced risk of coronary heart disease reduced risk of diabetes reduced risk of hypertension reduced falls the control of obesity positive mental health outcomes improved mobility, co-ordination & balance reduced risk of certain cancers life satisfaction is associated with high levels of leisure activity

Less road traffic injuries and deaths Despite improvements to road safety, road traffic collisions account for a significant number of deaths and injuries in Ireland Source: Road Safety Authority. Road Collision Facts 2008 Walking and cycling carry x 5-10 times higher risk of injury/km travelled than driving a car BUT – as levels of active travel increase, rates of pedestrian, cyclist and overall road traffic injuries decline, suggesting a ‘safety in numbers’ effect. (CTC, Safety in Numbers. 2010, CTC: Surrey)

Speed Motor vehicle speed is a key factor in both the frequency and severity of pedestrian and cyclist injury. Pedestrians have a 90% chance of surviving car crashes at 30km/h or less And a 50% chance of surviving an impact at 45km/h or above (WHO, 2004)

Health Benefits of Active Transport in Ireland Environmental Reduced traffic congestion = more pleasant environment for living: Reduced emissions, better air quality and reduced respiratory problems Reduced noise pollution Reduced accidents Mental Lower stress levels Social Safer access to local services for vulnerable groups such as older people, wheelchair users, visually impaired; etc. Physical Less road traffic injuries and deaths Cardiovascular health Weight Management Improves mood Strength & co-ordination

The cost of creating environments to support walking and cycling is a fraction of the savings made through better population health

of all users, not just drivers – what are Ireland doing? For health benefits to accrue transportation infrastructure must be designed for the mobility of all users, not just drivers – what are Ireland doing?

Ireland’s Transport Policy Actions to deliver alternative ways of travelling Improving public transport networks Increasing active travel journeys to work or school National Cycle Policy National Walking Policy

National Cycle Policy A mission to create a strong cycling culture in Ireland A vision for 2020 to 10% people commuting by bike A comprehensive package of interventions Expansion of a National Cycle Network

Dublin bikes – the stats! One of the most successful shared bikes schemes launched in Europe, Dubliners and visitors to the capital love Dublin bikes. Over 25,000 subscribers Almost 306,000 rentals since launch Dublin bikes has 438 Long Term subscribers per station Dublin bikes 39 Long Term subscribers per db Average journey time 16 minutes Thursday and Friday are the busiest days, Sunday is the quietest Busiest days to date, Tuesday 10th November and Thursday 10th December when there was 4,013 and 4,101 rentals 95% of rentals are free, i.e. under 30 minutes The majority of Long Term subscribers are male (67%) 57% of Long Term subscribers are aged 18-35 years

Active Travel around the world!

8-80 Cities Canada http://www.8-80cities.org/ Step 1: Think of a child that you love and care for who is approximately 8 years of age. Step 2: Think of an adult, approximately 80 years of age who you love and care for. Step 3: Ask yourself: Would you send that 8 year old along with the 80 year old on a walk, or a bike ride on that infrastructure? If you would, then it is safe enough, if you would not, then it is not safe enough. http://www.8-80cities.org/

New York City

Bloomberg’s Public Health Interest Guidelines for physical activity promoting design in New York www.nyc.gov/adg 1) Lessons from Public Health History 2) Urban Design Strategies for Streets and Neighborhoods 3) Building Design Strategies 4) Synergies with Environmental Sustainability and Universal Design

Evidence WHO Report “Collaboration between the health and transport sectors in promoting physical activity: examples from European countries 2006” 48 case studies concluded: Urban planning policies & large scale transport interventions have the largest impact Cases involving both health & transport sectors facilitated the largest amount of changes to environment required to promote cycling

Cork – a Healthy City?

Healthy City A city is viewed as a complex organism that is living, breathing, growing and constantly changing. A healthy city is one that improves its environments and expands its resources so that people can support each other in achieving their highest potential. Healthy Cities is an active and vibrant process

Two basic premises Healthy Cities 1. A comprehensive view of health and community issues, and 2. Commitment to the active promotion of a healthy community, rather than the “treatment” of problems. 

Healthy City Phase V Core Themes The Healthy Cities approach is a framework to which multiple existing collaborations, projects and initiatives can be linked across many different health determinants Caring and Supportive Environments Healthy Living Healthy Urban Environment and Design Say the CDB in the all agencies , concept applies to all agencies, we say all the examples are city council & hse; have to say that all service provided impacts on the health of people – say that healthy cities involves all of you ; e.g. CDB is an intersectoral forum; it’s a mirror of how the city is developing; cdb is only 8 years old; hc is part of a partnership model , mirroring the cdb sentiment , cdb pools talents and cork city can develop with this; cdb versus city council (local governance versus local government) The more that the heads hear that they’re impacting on health Examples here are only from hse and city council , need to get them on board They’re taking responsility , ownership, for the city development at cdb level , all about ownership 32 32

Theme 3: Healthy urban environment and design A healthy city offers a physical environment that supports health, recreation and well-being, safety, social interaction, easy mobility, a sense of pride and cultural identity and that is accessible to the needs of all its citizens Healthy urban planning Housing and regeneration Healthy transport Climate change and public health emergencies Safety & security Reduced exposure to noise & pollution Healthy urban design Creativity and liveability

Key health messages for action on active travel (Institute of Public Health in Ireland) Health should be a central component of active travel planning Equity must be a key consideration in all interventions to increase active travel (life course approach) Intersectoral collaboration should ensure the benefits of active travel across a broad range of sectors Continued investment in pedestrian and cycle infrastructure is essential Development of a culture of walking and cycling by addressing negative perceptions associated with active travel Balanced approach to the provision of incentives for active travel and disincentives for sedentary travel Better information on current journeys to establish baselines and indicate where action is needed