Meeting w/ Dr. Hidde van der Ploeg

This week I met with Dr. Hidde van der Ploeg, a graduate of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He's been with CPAH for approximately 1.5 years, he was hired at the same time a Heather and has 2.5 years remaining. We discussed his Time Use research, he currently has 2 projects he's working on.
He is collecting 10 days of data on 100-200 people using the new little "baby MTI's." He is very happy with the smaller units as they are far easier to download with a USB port and there is no need calibrate! The unit is charged via the USB and can manage to hold a charge for 14 days. When epochs are set at 10 second intervals you can collect data for 10 weeks and expect accurate information, however, the unit will need to be charged every 2 weeks.
Subjects wear the monitor for 10 days, diary (see attached) information is reported on days 2, nine and ten. Half of the subjects are asked to complete the IPAC questionnaire (a 7 day recall). Hidde will be looking at time spent in sedentary, light, and moderate-vigorous activities, he's looking for a coefficient of .80 Hmmmmmmmmmmm, sound familiar? We talked extensively about the test/retest methodology used for the time use diaries.
His second research project involves looking at the reliability and validity of physical activity measures in the Austrailian Bureau of Statistics data. Years reported include 1992, 1997 and 2006; currently he is looking at 1997 and 2006 has not been released. The information he is looking at is similar to our Household Travel Survey. He is lookiing at kids active commuting behavior for 71,81, 91,97 and then the survey contiunes every 3 years thereafter. He said that the methodology changed several times over the years and it is not looking to promising.

Trends in sufficient PA in NSW (1998-2005)

CPAH has prepared a report on the trends in sufficient physical activity in NSW between 1998 and 2005, which was launched by the Health Minister on Tuesday.

If you would like to know more about the report, please visit the CPAH website at
http://www.cpah.health.usyd.edu.au/research/reports.php

Week 2

Feeling much more settled now! Managed to find my way on the bus in the shortest amount of time.
The gang here at CPAH is very friendly and they have invited me to do sport two times per week and for all the after work functions. The family will be joining the crew for an Australian Rules Football tourney at the end of March! Should be great fun...I understand it's a mix between soccer and football...a bunch of sweaty tough guys!

Theme of the day- Never let data get in the way of a business project. Think Global!

My second day at CPAH involved a staff meeting where I was introduced to all the staff and I spoke a bit about my research focus/es. Following is an incomplete list that I will have to update as I do not have all the details on each of the individuals.

Adeline Yaw-from Australia, Administrative staff, she’s the Barb Mattingly of CPAH
^Cathy Kiernan-from Australia, Administrative Staff, Financial Wizard
*Dafna Merom -from Israel, PhD PA Epidemiologist, and her work may be most closely related with my interests, here are just a few of her publications:

Effect of Australia’s Walk to Work Day campaign on adults’ active commuting and physical activity … - group of 2 »
D Merom, Y Miller, S Lymer, A Bauman - Am J Health Promot, 2005 - apt.allenpress.com
... Commuting and Physical Activity Behavior. Dafna Merom, a Yvette Miller,
a Sharyn Lymer, a and Adrian Bauman a a Dafna Merom is with ...
Cited by 2 - Related Articles - Web Search

An environmental intervention to promote walking and cycling--the impact of a newly constructed Rail … - group of 2 »
D Merom, A Bauman, P Vita, G Close - Prev Med, 2003 - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
... Australia. dafna.merom@swsahs.nsw.gov.au BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated
environmental changes to promote physical activity. ...
Cited by 12 - Related Articles - Web Search - BL Direct

Changes in accessibility and preferences predict children's future fruit and vegetable intake - group of 13 »
BM Central, C Controlled - feedback, 2005 - ijbnpa.org
... walking for transport and exercise: a novel application of time use data Catrine
Tudor-Locke, Michael Bittman, Dafna Merom, Adrian Bauman International Journal ...
Cited by 4 - Related Articles - Cached - Web Search

Correlates of Osteoporosis Among Jewish and Arab Women Aged 45-74 in Israel: National Women’s … - group of 3 »
… -Kaluski, MPH RD, A Chinich, A Ifrah, D Merom, MS … - J Gend Specif Med, 2003 - mmhc.com
... Dorit Nitzan-Kaluski, MD, RD, MPH, Ayelet Chinich, BA, Anneke Ifrah, MPH, Dafna
Merom, MPH, and Manfred S. Green, MD, PhD 17 ORIGINAL STUDY ...
Related Articles - View as HTML - Web Search

The Exercise Recreation And Sport Survey (ERASS)
D Merom, A Bauman - cpah.unsw.edu.au
... among New South Wales adults Dafna Merom, Adrian Bauman NSW Centre for Physical
Activity and Health, University of New South Wales December 2002 CPAH 03-0001 ...
Related Articles - View as HTML - Web Search

Patterns of walking for transport and exercise: a novel application of time use data - group of 2 »
TL Catrine, B Michael, M Dafna, B Adrian - International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical … - doaj.org
... time use data. Author: Tudor-Locke Catrine; Bittman Michael; Merom Dafna;
Bauman Adrian. Abstract: Abstract. Background. Walking for ...
Cached - Web Search

Test-retest Reliability of a Questionnaire to Assess Physical Environmental Factors Pertaining to … - group of 11 »
BM Central, C Controlled - feedback, 2005 - ijbnpa.org
... walking for transport and exercise: a novel application of time use data Catrine
Tudor-Locke, Michael Bittman, Dafna Merom, Adrian Bauman International Journal ...
Cited by 1 - Related Articles - Cached - Web Search

Youth at risk of physical inactivity may benefit more from activity-related support than youth not … - group of 8 »
BM Central, C Controlled - feedback, 2006 - ijbnpa.org
... walking for transport and exercise: a novel application of time use data Catrine
Tudor-Locke, Michael Bittman, Dafna Merom, Adrian Bauman International Journal ...
Related Articles - Cached - Web Search

Cycling should be on transport, health and tourism agendas - group of 2 »
SC Station - Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2003 - abc.dotars.gov.au
... Karen Lenihan Bev Lloyd Edwina Macoun Nyanda McBride Fran McFadzen Michael McGartland
Ngaire McGaw Jeanie McKenzie Kate Merlin Dafna Merom Renee Moreton Amanda ...
Related Articles - View as HTML - Web Search

Trends in population levels of reported physical activity in Australia, 1997, 1999 and 2000 - group of 4 »
A Bauman, I Ford, T Armstrong - Canberra: Australian Sports Commission, 2001 - ausport.gov.au
... Thanks to Paul Kennett (Sport and Recreation, Qld) for useful comments, and to Dafna
Merom (Physical Activity Research Group, NSW) for the coding frames and ...
Cited by 14 - Related Articles - View as HTML - Web Search

Tribute to the Journal's Review Staff and Peer Reviewers - group of 3 »
ME Northridge - 2001 - Am Public Health Assoc
... McRuer Kenneth J Meier Michael B Meit Marcia L Meldrum Rita M Melendez Claude Ann
Mellins Michael Menchaca Francisco Mercado-Martinez Dafna Merom Michael J ...

*Heather Bowles-from TX, PhD Epidemiologist, Post Doc with Ainsworth at University of S. Carolina. Currently working on particulate levels in captured by cyclists in three different locations.
Hidda van der Ploeg-PhD Student working on evaluating time use measures for PA instruments.
^Josephine“Jo” Chau from Australia, Social coordinator/Officer-Research Asst. to Adrian, Data cleaning, monitoring, analysis of the National Trends Data
Klaus Gebel-from a Scandinavian country, PhD student built environment and PA
^Louise Farrell-Officer, NSW Health Promotion (loves to cook)
*PH Phongsavan- (level C) from Laos, PhD Health Promotion. Research areas include Social capitol income inequalities, culture and health. Before she came to CPHA she was working with UNICEF in Fiji.
Rona Macniven-From Glasgow, Professional Networks and PA advisor to CPAH staff,
Tien Chey- Biostatistician, part time also works for the Medical School

*-Program grant funded (4+ yr. appointments)
^-Capacity Building Grant (must be an Australian citizen)
The University of Sydney uses a ranking system as follows:
A-Post Doc
B-Research Faculty (not tenure track)
C-Asst. Prof.
D-Assoc. Prof.
E-Professor

The Center for Overweight and Obesity (COO) is also on the same floor with CPAH. There are five employees:
Leslie-the Adrian of the group
Michael-
Louise “Lou”- from Australia,
Caterina-
Margaret-Nutrition Epidemiologist

Last week I attended Thursday Sport which is organized by Jo! We participated in circuit training at the USYD soccer fields. There are some things that are so civil about the CPAH office; such as participating in sport with each other and offering tea and coffee at all meetings. May have to start a new ritual with our WRL when we all return! Love it here!!!

Day 1

This morning I met with :
Dr. Adrian Bauman, PhD FAFPHM
Sesquicentenary Professor of Public Health
(Behavioural Epidemiology and Health Promotion)
Director, Centre for Physical Activity and Health
Co-Director, NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity
Co-Director, Australian Centre for Health Promotion

All that, and he wants to be called Adrian!
I have my very own cubicle (desk 14, pronounced 4-deen), phone (9036 3296), email twashing@health.usyd.edu.au wow (or in the name of James...HOLLY COW), I feel so grown up! There's one cartoon posted at my desk; it reads like this there's a man sitting at a desk wit h a sign posted "Hospital Information" and he is responding to an overweight man saying"Obesity department?...ninth floor...No elevator!
Adrian and I had a quick chat about his schedule a quick hello and he'll be off (for 2 weeks) in Europe and then presenting at the Active Living Research conference in San Diego.
We had a great discussion about the different roles I can take during my time with CPAH. There are two particular projects that came to mind for Adrian after discussing my interests during my last visit in October. The first idea is to pick up on research that was started by, Margaret Thomas, a former PhD student who went on to work at NSW administration of health. The project includes Neville Owen as a co-author. Margaret had begun looking at aggregated census data (at postal code level ), specifically the question, "How did you get to work?"
Potential answers are:

1. Foot
2. Car
3. Public Transport (Bus and/or Train)
   
4. Other

Adrian would like to look at 5 major cities in Australia (Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane) between the years of 1976- 2001and possibly 2006 (if the data is available). The first three cities are known for their cycling friendliness and the later two are known for walking. He is interested in how people may have changed their transport behavior over the years as well as looking at the ecological data, the SES of certain neighborhoods and how they may influence transport behavior.
The second project is working with the General Social Survey (GSS). He described the data as having interests in social capital and quality of life. The survey asks some transport questions and is known as a health survey. I'm to begin looking into the GSS and report to him everything the GSS has to offer PA researchers!
Stay tuned next time where I will offer you more information about CPAH!