Marian Tye

Application of the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ) to office based workers

BackgroundThe workplace is a setting where sedentary behaviour is highly prevalent. Accurately measuring physical activity and sedentary behaviour is crucial to assess the impact of behavioural change interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and criterion validity of the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ) and compare with data collected by accelerometers.MethodsA test-retest study was undertaken on 99 participants using the OSPAQ. Data were then compared to accelerometer records of 41 participants. Reliability was assessed by paired t-test and intra-class correlations (ICC) via a two-way mixed model based on absolute agreement. Difference and agreement were measured by comparison of mean self-reported data with accelerometer data using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots.ResultsThe ICCs for minutes spent sitting (0.66), standing (0.83) and walking (0.77) showed moderate to strong test-retest reliability. No significant differences were found between the repeated measurements taken seven days apart. Correlations with the accelerometer readings were moderate. The Bland-Altman plots showed moderate agreement for standing time and walking time but systematic variation for sedentary time.ConclusionThe OSPAQ appears to have acceptable reliability and validity measurement properties for application in the office workplace setting.

Stationary in the Office: Emerging themes for active buildings

This research aims to highlight the gap between management, design and health-promotion strategies in the workplace, and seeks to illustrate how the disciplines of architecture and health promotion can work together to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase opportunities for incidental physical activity within the working day. In particular, this paper argues that qualitative research with a focus on socio-cultural factors is necessary to fully understand how the spatial practices of a workplace might positively or negatively influence the sedentary behaviour of workers. This paper summarizes observational and anecdotal findings of a pilot study. The workplace was analysed using architectural movement diagramming, observational and photographic studies along with textural analysis of the anecdotal comments offered to the field officers during the process of data collection. This study shows that overlaying physical workplace design are multiple layers of spatial, managerial and cultural influences that affect workers and their reasons for movement. The lived-experience information gained from the observational studies adds to a richer understanding of the workplace as a social organization and how this might inform active workplace design.

Framing the women’s AFL: contested spaces and emerging narratives of hope and opportunity for women in sport

Abstract This article explores historical, contemporary and emerging sites of contestation within sports, with a particular focus on women’s Australian Rules football in Australia. Sport played out on the field, in the media, popular culture, governance and legal arenas are positioned in this article as contested public spaces. The increasing presence of women in these spaces is seen as a shift towards a more socially just sporting space. With an emphasis on the contemporary sporting landscape and the historical commencement of the national women’s Australian Football League Women (AFLW) competition in February 2017, the evolution of this sport as a contested space can be understood as it relates to narratives of hope and opportunity for women. With overwhelming public feeling that the first AFLW season was a success, it is time to pause and consider what this development means for elite women’s sport, and women in contemporary Australian society more broadly.

Exploring physical activity engagement and barriers for asylum seekers in Australia coping with prolonged uncertainty and no right to work

This paper explores the engagement in physical activity as a potential coping strategy for asylum seekers living in the Australian community without the right to work and with prolonged uncertainty, and benefits or barriers to undertaking such activity. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were held with 29 asylum seekers who had arrived to Australia by boat and were living in the community in the cities of Perth, Sydney or Melbourne in July-October 2013 after their release from immigration detention. The ratio of the numbers of men and women interviewed (23 men and 6 women) was comparable to the ratio of men and women who came by boat to Australia seeking asylum in 2012-2013. Nine participants reported that they participated in physical activity as a coping strategy. Seven other participants were so worried about their future and their families that they did not have the mental or physical energy to engage in physical activity. A further six wanted to participate in physical activity but faced a number of barriers to doing so. The seven remaining participants were either not asked about their physical activity engagement because they focused their discussion on other challenges or did not elaborate on why they were not engaging in physical activity. The findings suggest that physical activity, coupled with other coping strategies, are important for some asylum seekers in trying to manage the distress of being denied the right to work and living with prolonged uncertainty. In addition, these findings highlight the critical barrier that government policy plays in disabling engagement in physical activity, which further compounds social exclusion. This includes the lack of welfare support provided, which hinders peoples financial ability to access activities and support in the community.

Urban Fringe Bushwalking: Eroding the Experience

ABSTRACT Urban fringe areas are vital resources for urbanized populations, but are under pressure to meet demand for a variety of land uses, including recreation. Bushwalking is a form of nature-based recreation experience founded on antiauthoritarianism, egalitarianism, and immersion in the Australian bush. An online and telephone survey gathered perceptions of bushwalking club members regarding their experiences on the urban fringe in Western Australia. Results reveal perceptions that the bushwalking experience is being eroded due to confinement into “tame” settings. Respondents perceived themselves as custodians of nature subject to inconsistent, unfair management treatment, fueling an existing bushwalker suspicion of authority. The article poses a challenge for urban fringe natural resource managers to harness the potential of bushwalking club members by overcoming negative perceptions and sharing common goals. The implication is that certain types of recreation could represent a natural resource management asset, rather than a threat to be managed.

Whose land is it anyway? Contesting urban fringe nature-based tourism and recreation in Western Australia

Abstract Urban fringe natural areas on public land are important resources for tourism and recreation use. However these contested areas are also in demand for a range of other land uses. How the land is managed can strongly influence opportunities for nature-based tourism and recreation, and the benefits that these bring to participants and host communities. This paper examines the case of tourism and recreation access to the forested urban fringe of Perth, Western Australia (WA) using a typology of land occupancy and management priorities originally devised for private land use. A review of legislation and policy relating to tourism and recreation access to land in WA was conducted. Tourism and recreation groups and land managers associated with access to the Perth urban fringe natural areas were interviewed regarding their perceptions of land access management. Most land in the WA study area is publically owned and is therefore technically accessible to the public. In regions dominated by multiple private land owners such as Europe and the UK, varying approaches to land-use management may be classified according to a predictable land occupancy typology that tends to be consistently applied. By contrast, the single public land holder in this area of WA, the state government, lacks consistency in its approach to recreational and tourist access to land. This creates both public and governmental uncertainty and confusion regarding where and how land may be accessed on the Perth urban fringe.

Understanding and Planning for Organized Community Sport in Public Parks: A Case Study of Policy and Practice in Perth

Abstract Emerging shortages of community sporting facilities in Australian cities have led to calls for increased provision of playing fields through public park and open space planning processes. Drawing on a broad literature review and a specific case study of metropolitan Perth, this paper evaluates the value of organised sport as a function of contemporary public parks before proposing policy and practice to ensure that such an increase complements broader urban planning agendas. An analysis of the evolution of public park planning shows that, while the provision of organised sport was the primary function of public parks in the middle of the twentieth century, contemporary park planning is characterised by the embrace of broader ecological planning concepts such as green infrastructure and ecosystem services. These broader concepts are then applied to understand the value of organised sport held within public parks, including its unique benefits and notable limitations when considered alongside other forms of outdoor recreation. With these limitations in mind, this paper concludes by identifying existing and future policy and practice that can help to ensure that demand for community sporting facilities in new residential areas can be met in a manner that complements this ecological role for local parks.

Green Star is not a physical activity star

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on research investigating the relationship between physical activity and workplace design. In particular, the paper explores the social–ecological context of a new workplace building. This paper seeks to understand why better physical activity outcomes for the staff were not observed in the new building despite influence from a staff wellness committee during design; achieving success against existing best-practice indicators; and staff reporting increased feelings of wellness, energy and satisfaction with the new building. Design/methodology/approach Three design aspects are taken as a focus from within an opportunistic pre-/post-physical activity study of an organisation as they move from a building they occupied for 30 years into a new purpose-designed building. This study was conducted through mixed methods, incorporating ethnographic, architectural and quantitative means. Findings The social, spatial and personal context is important for understanding participant workplace-based physical activity. Despite the health and well-being goals and 5 Star Green Star outcomes of the new building, participants were sedentary for a substantive part of their workday in both buildings. Practical implications A well-designed environment can support staff feeling healthier, but the 5 Star Green Star rating does not implicitly ensure a healthier, activity-promoting environment. Facilities managers and designers can act to provide physically active paths as the most straightforward circulation option in workplaces. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in the opportunity to conduct a pre-/post-study of physical activity where the organisation, workforce and type of work are constant and where the variable is the building design, spatial configuration and location. The methods used in this study draw from both health promotion and architectural research practices.