Education Commons^™

Green And Blue Infrastructure In Darwin; Carbon Economies And The Social And Cultural Dimensions Of Valuing Urban Mangroves In Australia, Jennifer M. Atchison

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Darwin's mangrove ecosystems, some of the most extensive and biodiverse in the world, are part of the urban fabric in the tropical north of Australia but they are also clearly at risk from the current scale and pace of development. Climate motivated market-based responses, the so-called 'new-carbon economies', are one prominent approach to thinking differently about the value of living infrastructure and how it might provide for and improve liveability. In the Australian context, there are recent efforts to promote mangrove ecosystems as blue infrastructure, specifically as blue carbon, but also little recognition or valuation of them as green or …

The Relationship Between Neighbourhood Green Space And Child Mental Wellbeing Depends Upon Whom You Ask: Multilevel Evidence From 3083 Children Aged 12-13 Years, Xiaoqi Feng, Thomas E. Astell-Burt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recent reviews of the rapidly growing scientific literature on neighbourhood green space and health show strong evidence for protective and restorative effects on mental wellbeing. However, multiple informants are common when reporting mental wellbeing in studies of children. Do different informants lead to different results? This study utilised nationally representative data on Goodman’s 25-item Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire reported by 3083 children (aged 12–13 years old), and their parents and teachers. Multilevel models were used to investigate whether similar associations between child mental wellbeing (as measured using the total difficulties score and the internalising and externalising subscales) and neighbourhood green …

Large-Scale Investment In Green Space As An Intervention For Physical Activity, Mental And Cardiometabolic Health: Study Protocol For A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation Of A Natural Experiment, Thomas E. Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Gregory Kolt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction 'Green spaces' such as public parks are regarded as determinants of health, but evidence from tends to be based on cross-sectional designs. This protocol describes a study that will evaluate a large-scale investment in approximately 5280 hectares of green space stretching 27 km north to south in Western Sydney, Australia. Methods and analysis A Geographic Information System was used to identify 7272 participants in the 45 and Up Study baseline data (2006-2008) living within 5 km of the Western Sydney Parklands and some of the features that have been constructed since 2009, such as public access points, advertising billboards, …

The Influence Of Neighbourhood Green Space On Children's Physical Activity And Screen Time: Findings From The Longitudinal Study Of Australian Children, Taren Sanders, Xiaoqi Feng, Paul P. Fahey, Chris Lonsdale, Thomas Astell-Burt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: It is often hypothesised that neighbourhood green space may help prevent well-known declines in physical activity and increases in sedentary behaviour that occur across childhood. As most studies in this regard are cross-sectional, the purpose of our study was to use longitudinal data to examine whether green space promotes active lifestyles as children grow older. Methods: Data came from participants (n=4983; age=4-5) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, a nationally representative study on health and child development. Physical activity and screen time were measured biennially (2004-2012) using questionnaires and time use diaries. Quantity of neighbourhood green space was …

Green Space And Child Weight Status: Does Outcome Measurement Matter? Evidence From An Australian Longitudinal Study, Taren Sanders, Xiaoqi Feng, Paul P. Fahey, Chris Lonsdale, Thomas Astell-Burt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To examine whether neighbourhood green space is beneficially associated with (i) waist circumference (WC) and (ii) waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) across childhood. Methods: Gender-stratified multilevel linear regressions were used to examine associations between green space and objective measures of weight status in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, a nationally representative source of data on 4,423 children aged 6 y to 13 y. WC and WtHR were measured objectively. Percentage green space within the local area of residence was calculated. Effect modification by age was explored, adjusting for socioeconomic confounding. Results: Compared to peers with 0-5% green space locally, boys …

Do Low-Income Neighbourhoods Have The Least Green Space? A Cross-Sectional Study Of Australia's Most Populous Cities, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Suzanne Mavoa, Hannah M. Badland, Billie Giles-Corti

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

An inequitable distribution of parks and other ‘green spaces’ could exacerbate health inequalities if people on lower incomes, who are already at greater risk of preventable diseases, have poorer access.

Methods

The availability of green space within 1 kilometre of a Statistical Area 1 (SA1) was linked to data from the 2011 Australian census for Sydney (n = 4.6 M residents); Melbourne (n = 4.2 M); Brisbane (n = 2.2 M); Perth (n = 1.8 M); and Adelaide (n = 1.3 M). Socioeconomic circumstances were measured via the percentage population of each SA1 living on < $21,000 per annum. Negative binomial and logit regression models were used to investigate association between the availability of green space in relation to neighbourhood socioeconomic circumstances, adjusting for city and population density.

Results

Green space availability …

Proximity To Green Space Increases The Propensity For Regular Walking And Physical Activity In Adults, Gregory Kolt, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the American College of Sports Medicine 60th annual meeting, 28 May - 1 June 2013, Indianapolis, United States

Does Access To Neighbourhood Green Space Promote A Healthy Duration Of Sleep? Novel Findings From A Cross-Sectional Study Of 259 319 Australians, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Gregory Kolt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives Experiments demonstrate that exposure to parks and other ‘green spaces’ promote favourable psychological and physiological outcomes. As a consequence, people who reside in greener neighbourhoods may also have a lower risk of short sleep duration (<6 h). This is potentially important as short sleep duration is a correlate of obesity, chronic disease and mortality, but so far this hypothesis has not been previously investigated.

Design Cross-sectional data analysis.

Setting New South Wales, Australia.

Participants This study investigated whether neighbourhood green space was associated with a healthier duration of sleep (to the nearest hour) among 259 319 Australians who completed the 45 and Up Study baseline questionnaire between 2006 and 2009 inclusive.

Primary and secondary outcome measures Multinomial logit regression was used to investigate the influence of an …