Education Commons^™

Neighbourhood Satisfaction Among Residents : A Snap Shot Of 60+ Year Olds, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

Neighbourhood satisfaction is an important component of life satisfaction and is associated with levels of well-being among older residents. Older resident’s satisfaction plays a significant role in influencing their level of engagement and interaction with neighbours and their feeling of safety within their neighbourhood.

This ‘snap shot’ highlights the extent to which residents aged 60 years and over living in six Victorian municipalities (3 metropolitan and 3 regional) felt satisfied and engaged with their neighbourhood. The sample comprised 816 residents drawn from a total sample of 2,313 residents. The data was collected from a self-completed survey distributed as a letterbox …

Children’S Independent Mobility And Dog Ownership : 8 To 12 Year Olds, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

Many families are now acquiring pets to encourage children, to spend more time in the ‘real’, rather than the ‘virtual’ world. The rising prevalence in the number of children who are overweight or obese is increasing in importance as a public health issue in Australia (McCallum & Gerner, 2005). Walking and physical activity is strongly linked to improved general health and lower risks of obesity and associated health problems. A growing body of research shows that pet ownership has a number of physical health benefits. Studies now associate pets, and particularly dogs with increased levels of physical activity.

Children’S Independent Mobility : Fact Or Fiction: 8 To 12 Year Olds - Worried About Strangers, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

The rising prevalence in the number of children who are overweight or obese is increasing in importance as a public health issue in Australia. Parental fear as a barrier to children’s independent mobility and physical activity has contributed to the decline in children’s physical activity. Timperio et al. (2004) and Veitch et al. (2006) have reported parents commonly identify ‘stranger danger’ as a barrier to children’s independent mobility within their community. In a recent VicHealth survey it was reported that 63 per cent of participants agreed parents should not let primary school age children move to and from places without …