Health Reports

A Canadian peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research

October 2022

The Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety metrics (Can-BICS): National measures of the bicycling environment for use in research and policy

by Meghan Winters, Jeneva Beairsto, Colin Ferster, Karen Laberee, Kevin Manaugh and Trisalyn Nelson

While there have been recent efforts to develop national measures of active living environments for walking and transit in Canada, there are no corresponding measures for cycling environments. For example, the Canadian Active Living Environments (Can-ALE) metrics include components for intersection density, dwelling density, destinations and transit (in the transit-specific measure) but exclude data on cycling facilities. Cycling is the fastest growing mode of transportation in many Canadian communities and has experienced major boosts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Safe and comfortable cycling infrastructure is vital to get more people cycling, more often, for more trips. Policy makers and researchers across the country working to improve conditions for cycling will be supported by a comprehensive map of cycling infrastructure and corresponding area-based metrics. For example, they will be able to identify areas with limited access to cycling infrastructure (e.g., potential sites for investment) or make comparisons across cities or through time with standardized research-ready metrics. Furthermore, metrics based on standardized areas facilitate linkages to sociodemographic, transportation and health datasets (e.g., census data, data from regional travel surveys and health survey data). In past work, spatial metrics have been incorporated to analyze the effects of cycling infrastructure on cycling behaviour, make city- or neighbourhood-level comparisons and assess inequities in accessibility.

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The Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety metrics (Can-BICS): National measures of the bicycling environment for use in research and policy

How sedentary are Canadian adults? It depends on the measure

by Rachel C. Colley, Justin J. Lang, Travis J. Saunders, Karen C. Roberts, Gregory P. Butler and Stephanie A. Prince

Sedentary behaviour is defined as wakeful activities of low energy expenditure (1.5 metabolic equivalents or less) while sitting, lying down or reclining, such as watching television, using a computer or engaged in passive travel. Canadian adults spend a large proportion of their day engaged in sedentary behaviour, which in excess is a risk factor for hypertension, obesity, depression, chronic conditions and premature mortality. These deleterious associations with health make population surveillance of sedentary behaviour a high priority, as evidenced by its inclusion in the Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep Indicator Framework from the Public Health Agency of Canada. Given its ubiquity throughout the day and the wide range of activities that fall under the sedentary behaviour umbrella, measurement is a challenge.

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How sedentary are Canadian adults? It depends on the measure

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