TravelSmart health
Did you know?
- 10 per cent of the trips made in urban areas are less than 1km while 30 per cent are less than 3km—ideal distances for walking or cycling.1
- Even walking for part of your journey can benefit you and the environment. A 10 minute walk to the bus stop helps you to accumulate the 30 minutes of physical activity adults should do every day.2
- Walking or cycling to school is great exercise for children and teaches them important road safety skills. Children need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for health benefits.3
Sedentary lifestyle
- More than 50 per cent of Australian adults are now considered overweight. One reason for this is that we are not doing as much physical activity as we used to before we became dependent on cars.
- Physical inactivity contributes to around 6400 deaths each year due to coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer, and an additional 2200 more deaths due to other conditions such as stroke.4
- In south east Queensland alone, this relates to about 960 deaths per year. It has also been estimated that the burden of disease due to physical inactivity corresponds to around 36 deaths per day or 1.5 per hour.5
TravelSmart helps Queensland get active
The Queensland Government has developed the interactive Eat Well Be Active* (EWBA) website to provide practical tips and information to help Queenslanders make healthier eating choices and be more active every day.
Note: People with chronic health conditions (for example, heart disease and diabetes) should consult their doctor before starting a physical activity program and discuss the types of activities that best suit their needs.
More about health benefits
Reducing car use helps ease the cumulative effects on our physical and mental health which result from global warming, air and noise pollution.
- benefits of environmentally-friendly modes of transport
- health benefits of walking
- health benefits of cycling.
For further information contact the TravelSmart team
References:
1Socialdata Australia Pty Ltd (2005). Indepth Travel Behaviour Analysis—Brisbane prepared for Queensland Transport, Transport Planning Division.
2Department of Health and Ageing, (2005) An active way to better health: National physical activity guidelines for adults.
3Department of Health and Ageing, (2004) Get out and get active: Australia's physical activity recommendations for 12-18 year olds.
4Stephenson, J, Bauman, A, Armstrong, T, Smith, B, Bellew, B (2000). The Costs of Illness Attributable to Physical Inactivity in Australia: A Preliminary Study, Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra, ACT.
5Dunstan D, Zimmet P, Welborn T, Sicree R, Armstrong T, Atkins R, et al (2001). Diabesity and associated disorders in Australia-2000: the accelerating epidemic: The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab), Melbourne: International Diabetes Institute.
*The content found by using this link is not created, controlled or approved by this department. No responsibility is taken for the consequences of viewing content on this site. This link will load into a new window.
Last updated 12 March 2009
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