We investigated the influence of neighborhood built form on sense of community in Perth, Western Australia. It was hypothesized that sense of community would be stronger in individuals living in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. Multivariate linear regression models explored associations between walking and sense of community, with progressive adjustment for objective and perceived neighborhood characteristics. Sense of community was positively associated with walking for transport and positive perceptions of neighborhood quality, and negatively associated with residential density. The findings highlight the influence of local area perceptions on sense of community that appeared to be more important than objective environment characteristics. However, the latter may influence perceptions, and this requires investigation.

Objective: To examine soft drink consumption across age, gender, socioeconomic, and body weight status groups within an adolescent and adult population.Design: Cross-sectional telephone survey.Participants: Western Australian residents (n = 1,015) aged 16-65 years, selected through random dialing.Variables Measured: Frequency and quantity of sugar-sweetened and diet soft drinks consumption, sociodemographic characteristics.Analysis: The Kruskal-Wallis test of association for non-parametric data was used to explore differences in quantity of soft drinks consumed. Logistic regression models used to explore type of soft drinks consumed by sociodemographic factors and weight status.Results: A greater proportion of females consumed no soft drinks (29.2%) or diet soft drinks only (20.9%), compared with males (21.7% and 14.0%, respectively) (P < .05). The youngest (16-24 years) consumers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks consumed twice (median, 3 cups/wk) as much as the eldest (55-65 years) (1.5 cups/wk) (P < .05). Respondents classified as overweight or obese were 1.7 times more likely to drink both sugar-sweetened and diet soft drinks compared with other respondents (P = .02).Conclusions and Implications: This study identified a high prevalence of soft drink consumption within the population (74.5%). These results identify young people (16-24 years of age), as well as males, as population groups to target through public health interventions to reduce soft drink consumption.

A subsidised public transport pass (U-Pass) program has been proposed to address issues of sustainability, equitable access, and parking at the University of Western Australia (UWA). A recent feasibility study found a U-Pass program would be expected to encourage a significant shift toward more sustainable transport modes, and play an important role in mitigating transport-related greenhouse gas emissions and excessive parking demand (Bleechmore, Giles-Corti & Olaru 2011). Building upon these findings, this study statistically analysed the potential quantitative impact of a U-Pass program at the University by assessing reported travel behaviour, barriers and motivations at an individual level. A model was constructed to project the modal share following the implementation of a U-Pass program. The study demonstrates that there is significant potential to encourage more active commuting to and from the University campus.

Issue Addressed: Human behaviours influence health. Most people partake in numerous behaviours that increase their risk of chronic disease. For years health promotion interventions have been changing behaviour to improve health. While it is known that most people exhibit more than one health risk behaviour, it is not clear if health behaviours occur in patterns within population subgroups. This paper aims to explore the clustering patterns of six health risk behaviours among Australian adults.Methods: Data collected from four (1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002) community-based surveys were used to explore the relationships between a variety of health risk behaviours. The behaviours included were smoking, unsafe alcohol consumption, low fruit consumption, low vegetable consumption, insufficient physical activity and poor sun protection practices. The sample comprised 8,668 West Australian residents aged 16-69 years. A k-means cluster analysis was used to determine groups of people with similar health behaviours.Results: Four health risk behaviour clusters were identified, one overall health promoting 'Safe', two 'Risky' and one 'Moderate' (mix of healthy and unhealthy behaviours). These health behaviour clusters were distinguishable by demographic characteristics, where by women aged 40 years and older on high incomes were most likely to be part of the 'Safe' cluster, younger people the risky smoker cluster and older men the risky drinker cluster.Conclusion: The results of this study support the idea that people exhibit on average three risky health behaviours and that these behaviours inter-relate. The results further suggest that sub-groups in the study population were differentiated by the type of risky health behaviours they exhibit.