Research library

Welcome to the insight hub for we can move,

This is our storage space for research, reports, opinion and news for physical activity and the wider system which we've come across.

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walking (32)

Just 6 Months of Walking May Boost Aging Brains

The study focused on older adults who had milder problems with memory and thinking skills. The researchers found that six months of moderate exercise -- walking or pedaling a stationary bike -- turned some of those issues around. Source: https://consumer.healthday.com/fitness-information-14/walking-health-news-288/just-6-months-of-walking-may-boost-aging-brains-740826.html (December 2018)

Cycling to work might just help you live longer, according to new study

This large cohort study supports an association between cycling to work and reduced ACM, but found no association for walking or public-transport use and imprecise cause-specific mortality patterns. Source: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/cycling-to-work-might-just-help-you-live-longer-according-to-new-study-449253 (February 2020)

The Health of the Nation strategy for longevity: Longer life 'not a problem to be tackled but a goal to be pursued'

A new report, The Health of the Nation: A Strategy for Healthier Longer Lives, was published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Longevity. It found that women in the UK are living for 29 years in poor health and men for 23 years: an increase of 50% for women and 42% for men on previous estimates based on self-reported data. Source: https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/63446/longer-life-not-a-problem-to-be-tackled-but-a-goal-to-be-pursued-via-healthy

£3.5m government funding to encourage children to walk to school

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced £3.5m of funding to encourage more children to walk to school in a bid to improve air pollution and reduce congestion during peak hours. £2.5m of the funding will be available for the ‘Walk To’ fund, which aims to support a further 1,200 primary and secondary schools, colleges and workplaces to choose walking rather than driving on their daily commute.  Source: https://airqualitynews.com/2020/02/10/3-5m-government-funding-to-encourage-children-to

The 2019 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: ensuring that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate

Encouraging active travel (particularly cycling) has become increasingly central to transport planning, and growing evidence suggests that bikeway infrastructure, if appropriately designed and implemented, can increase cycling in various settings. A modal shift in transport could also result in reductions in air pollution from tyre, brake, and road surface wear, in addition to a reduction in exhaust-related particulates. Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19

People who cycle to work have lower risk of dying, says New Zealand study

‘Increasing cycling for commuting to work in a country with low levels of cycling like New Zealand will require policies directed at both transport and urban planning, such as increasing housing density and implementing cycling networks.’ Source: https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/63278/people-who-cycle-to-work-have-lower-risk-of-dying-says-new-zealand-study (January 2020)

Regular walking breaks prevent the decline in cerebral blood flow associated with prolonged sitting

Prolonged uninterrupted sitting in healthy desk workers reduces cerebral blood flow. However, this reduction in cerebral blood flow is offset when frequent short-duration walking breaks are incorporated into this sitting period. For those who engage in long periods of sedentary behavior, chronically breaking up these sitting periods with frequent active break strategies may have important implications for cerebrovascular health; however, further research should explore this hypothesis. Source:

Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking

Walking is an easy-to-implement strategy to increase appropriate novel idea generation. When there is a premium on generating new ideas in the workday, it should be beneficial to incorporate walks. In addition to providing performance benefits, it would address concerns regarding the physiological effects of inactivity (Hamilton, Healy, Dunstan, Zderic, & Owen, 2008;. Hamilton, Hamilton, & Zderic, 2007). Source: https://www.fincalabs.com/en/give-your-ideas-some-legs-the-positive-effect-of-walki

Enhancing daily well-being at work through lunchtime park walks and relaxation exercises: Recovery experiences as mediators.

Results of this intervention study showed that park walks at lunchtime were related to better concentration and less fatigue in the afternoon through enjoyment. Relaxation exercises were related to better concentration in the afternoon via detachment and linked to lower levels of strain and fatigue in the afternoon. Source:https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-14084-001?doi=1 (2018)

People maintain increases in physical activity three years after receiving pedometers

Middle-aged to older adults given pedometers and a walking programme as part of two NIHR trials continued to be active three years later. In one trial they were walking around 650 extra steps a day. In both trials, they spent about 30 minutes per week extra in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared to controls. https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-00594/people-maintain-increases-in-physical-activity-three-years-after-receiving-pedometers (May 2018)