Associations between active commuting and body Adiposity among Atlantic Canadians Zhijie Michael Yu and Cynthia Forbes Click here to see the full brief Though the beneficial effects of regular physical activity on both health and body weight control have been well documented, only about one in ten people in the general population are aware of the public health guidelines for physical activity. Both Canadian and American activity guidelines recommend that adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per week to help maintain good health and prevent disease. Several research studies using Canadian Health Measures Survey data suggest that approximately 15% of Canadian adults meet the recommended guidelines according to objectively measured physical activity. In addition, the prevalence of obesity in Canada has been constantly increasing over the past 25 years. Currently, one in six Canadian adults are obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m2). The situation is more pronounced in the Atlantic provinces in which one in four adults are classified as obese. Lifestyle changes, particularly the emergence of an obesogenic diet and a decreasing trend in total physical activity, have been ascertained as a key contributor to the obesity epidemic. An increasingly sedentary lifestyle has been found to be one of the major contributors to the decreasing levels of total physical activity. The reliance and use of motorized vehicles is one of the major sedentary lifestyle activities which has been shown to be associated with body adiposity.In contrast, recent studies have reported that active commuting is associated with lower levels of body adiposity when compared with motor vehicle use. We hypothesized that physical activities such as commuting via walking or cycling may be related to decreased body adiposity in our study population. Therefore, we carried out a cross-sectional analysis to assess whether active commuting is associated with body adiposity among participants of the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (Atlantic PATH) cohort study.

Prevalence and comparison of select health behaviours among urban and rural residents: an Atlantic PATH cohort brief report Cynthia C. Forbes and Zhijie Michael Yu Click here to see the full brief Research in developed countries indicates that rural residents generally have poorer health than those living in urban areas. Rural residents have been shown to be more obese and have higher prevalence of chronic disease. These differences in obesity may be due to health-related behaviours that influence body mass. Literature also suggests that rural residents are more likely to be inactive, sedentary, have poor diets, smoking and drinking behaviour. Approximately 19% of all Canadians are classified as rural; however, in Atlantic Canada, an average 46% of the population are considered rural (43% NS, 47% NB, 41% NL, and 53% PEI). Atlantic Canada has higher prevalence rates of poor health behaviours and chronic disease when compared to Canadian averages. It is unclear what mechanisms may be responsible for these differences, but considering the suggestion that rural residents experience poorer health than urban residents, we felt this was a factor worth exploring. This research brief uses data from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow Health (PATH) study to identify the characteristics and behaviours of urban/rural residents in all four provinces. We also examine any possible mediators of these behaviours between the urban/rural groups. The purpose of this brief is to 1) describe and compare the characteristics of urban/rural residents in terms of health behaviours and chronic disease status; 2) describe and compare the following behaviours of urban/rural residents: physical activity level, time spent sitting, fruit intake, vegetable intake, fruit or vegetable juice intake, smoking, and alcohol consumption; and 3) identify any characteristics from purpose #1 that mediate behaviours in purpose #2 of urban/rural residents. We hypothesized that those designated as rural would have poorer health behaviours than those in urban areas.

The Prevalence of Obesity in Atlantic Canadians with Arthritis Vanessa DeClercq Click here to see the full brief Arthritis is a condition that affects joints and the surrounding tissues, causing chronic pain, limiting mobility and contributing to disability. There are both non-modifiable risk factors such as age, sex, and genetics as well as modifiable risk factors including physical activity, diet, and obesity that impact the risk of developing arthritis. In addition to reducing risk, maintaining a healthy body weight or body mass index (BMI) may also prevent disease progression, reduce pain, and improve movement. Not only do the Atlantic provinces have some of the highest rates of arthritis in Canada (up to 25% of the population), but the percent of individuals in Atlantic Canada that are obese (24-30%) is also well above the national average (20%). BMI is one of the most common measures of obesity, but it does not account for body composition or fat mass distribution. Waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and percent body fat/fat mass are also commonly associated with the metabolic complications of obesity. BMI at 18 years of age has been shown to be a strong predictor of obesity in adulthood and a gain in BMI units has been associated with increased risk of disease. Few studies have attempted to include more than one measure of adiposity, and there is a lack of research directly comparing the different measures of adiposity in individuals with arthritis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between prevalence of arthritis and obesity in Atlantic Canadians using both current and past (age 18) anthropometric data.