european college of sport science

PP-HF13 Health and Fitness 13
Methods: The commuters volunteered to participate in the study after being contacted through advertisements in two morning newspapers
in Stockholm. A questionnaire was sent to 1950 persons. The response frequency was 93 %. 335 of the respondents walked in the
inner urban area of Stockholm and constitute the basis for this study. The variables studied were exhaust fumes, noise, flow and velocities
of motorized vehicles, respectively, congestion of pedestrians, incidence of conflicts between the individual and other road-users
(including pedestrians), the extent of green elements, aesthetics, number of red lights, and the perceived distance. Semantic differential
15-point scales for responding were used. Whether the ratings of the environmental variables could explain to what extent the overall
route environment stimulated or inhibited their commuting was tested with multiple stepwise regression analysis.
Results: The following variables were statistically significant in explaining variations in the ratings of whether the overall route environment
stimulated or inhibited the respondents commuting: 1) aesthetics, 2) noise 3) green elements (nature, parks, trees, plantings). The
multiple regression analysis built a regression equation of the form: Y = 5.78 + 0.52 x aesthetics – 0.18 x noise + 0.12 x green elements.
The perceived levels of green elements correlated significantly with aesthetics (r=0.496).
Discussion/Conclusion: The present findings point to the importance of different environmental variables in stimulating/inhibiting bicycling
commuting in urban areas. The fact that there was a strong correlation between green elements and aesthetics indicate that, to a
great extent, green element may constitute the dimension of perceived aesthetics. In such case, green elements can be seen as a major
pull factor for being physical active in this context.
LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH BEHAVIOURS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
AL-NAKEEB, Y., DODD, L., NEVILL, A.
NEWMAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Introduction: The onset of unhealthy behaviour is usually rooted during adolescence and young adulthood. The causes of premature
morbidity and mortality are frequently attributed to risk behaviours such as inactivity, smoking, excessive drinking and unhealthy diet
(Mokdad et al., 2004; World Health Organisation, 2002). It has been reported globally that university students engage in such behaviour
(Steptoe et al., 2002). This study was designed to explore the prevalence and association of multiple risk behaviours among university
students.
Methods: A total of 410 university students (mean age 22.8+5.8 years) from central England participated in a voluntary and anonymous
survey in 2008. The study assessed students’ actual health behaviours and perceptions regarding physical activity (PA), body satisfaction,
smoking, illicit drug use, binge drinking, eating habits as well as socio-demographic variables.
Results: The prevalence of risk behaviours was high; over 81.7% did not exercise sufficiently, 66.3% ate less than five servings of fruits and
vegetables, 56.9% reported binge drinking, 35% were regular or occasional smokers and 22% reported illicit drug taking. Based on Body
Mass Index, a third of all students were classified as overweight or obese with half of the females and a third of the males reporting body
dissatisfaction. Strong associations were evident between risk behaviours of inactivity, binge drinking, smoking and fatty diet. Generally,
females showed slightly more positive patterns of behaviour than males and there were significant gender differences on binge drinking
(Chi-Square=20.5; P