Obesity-related health impacts of active transport policies in Australia – a policy review and health impact modelling study

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Brown, V
Moodie, M
Cobiac, L
Mantilla, H
Carter, R
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2017
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Abstract

Objective: To review Australian policies on active transport, defined as walking and cycling for utilitarian purposes. To estimate the potential health impact of achieving four active transport policy scenarios. Methods: A policy review was undertaken, using key words to search government websites. Potential health benefits were quantified using a cohort simulation Markov model to estimate obesity and transport injury-related health effects of an increase in active transport. Health adjusted life years (HALYs) gained and healthcare cost savings from diseases averted were estimated. Budget thresholds to achieve cost-effectiveness were estimated for each scenario. Results: There is broad recognition of the health-related benefits of active transport from all levels of Australian government. Modelling results suggest significant health-related benefits of achieving increased prevalence of active transport. Total HALYs saved assuming a one-year effect ranged from 565 (95%UI 173–985) to 12,105 (95%UI 4,970–19,707), with total healthcare costs averted ranging from $6.6M (95%UI $1.9M-11.3M) to $141.2M (95%UI $53.8M–227.8M). Conclusion: Effective interventions that improve rates of active transport may result in substantial healthcare-related cost savings through a decrease in conditions related to obesity. Implications for public health: Significant potential exists for effective and cost-effective interventions that result in more walking and cycling.

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Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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41

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6

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© 2017 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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Epidemiology

Health services and systems

Public health

active transport

obesity

policy

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Brown, V; Moodie, M; Cobiac, L; Mantilla, H; Carter, R, Obesity-related health impacts of active transport policies in Australia – a policy review and health impact modelling study, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2017, 41 (6), pp. 611-616

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