Research shows that only 20 per cent of full-time workers in Canada meet recommended physical activity levels—likely due to time constraints and inflexible work schedules. As many individuals incorporate walking and biking into their daily commutes, finding ways to support and enhance these practical forms of exercise may help increase overall physical activity among workers.
In this presentation, Dr. Avi Biswas shares results from a recent study examining how Canadians' decisions to walk or bike to work may be shaped by both the physical environment (e.g., walkability, cycling infrastructure, air pollution) and social environment (e.g., degree of marginalization and deprivation). Using Census and environmental data for over three million Canadian workers, Biswas identifies four combinations of physical and social environments around the areas where Canadians work and live and discusses whether any of these may encourage walking or biking to work. Dr. Avi Biswas is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health and an assistant professor in epidemiology at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. His research informs strategies to promote the overall health and well-being of workers in addition to their on-the-job safety. Relevant to this presentation, one of Dr. Biswas’s research interests involves exploring the complex factors that influence workers’ participation in physical activity and understanding the benefits and potential risks of physically demanding occupations.
The IWH Speakers Series is an opportunity to learn more about the latest findings from work and health researchers at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. To learn more, visit: www.iwh.on.ca/events/speaker-series IWH is an independent, not-for-profit research organization. To learn more, go to: www.iwh.on.ca
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