Caution! Paradigm Shift Ahead: “Adolescent mobility health”

Thursday, October 11th, 2012 | Editor | No Comments

This is a multimedia presentation by Professor Hank Weiss, delivered Tuesday, October 02, 2012 at the Safety 2012 World Conference (47 min).

Adolescents warrant special attention. From a road safety perspective, they carry the largest crash and morbidity/mortality risk of any age group. This has led to considerable research and safety programs, but these efforts have plateaued in many countries and remain fixed within a road safety perspective. From a broader perspective, little has been done about the many non-traffic health risks related to teen driving (increased drug and alcohol use, anti-social behaviour, sexually transmitted infections, inactivity and obesity). From a sustainable transport perspective, a contemporary imperative, teens are where the transition from non-driver to driver takes place; an opportune time for interventions to minimize environmental harms.

Professor Weiss introduces a new paradigm termed ‘mobility health’ to bridge the siloed domains of safety, adolescent health and sustainable mobility. In this passionate speech to an international audience, he advocates changing the current narrow paradigm of adolescent road safety to a cross-level/cross-disciplinary, more potent, timely and healthy vision of less driving through mobility modal shift from cars to active and public transport.

Reasons for Singapore’s Low Male Adolescent Mortality

Friday, September 7th, 2012 | Editor | No Comments

“Efforts to reduce motorisation by promoting public transportation, in addition to road safety legislation and improvement in trauma services, have produced low mortality rates from traffic injuries and by extension low adolescent mortality rates in Singapore. Similar efforts translated elsewhere could achieve major health benefits for adolescents.”

Boon et. al.

Full Correspondence: The Lancet, 380 (9842), P 645, 18 Aug 2012

Adolescent Health and Ecological Determinants – Lancet Correspondence

Wednesday, August 29th, 2012 | Editor | No Comments

“”Life-course priorities that focus only on social determinants while ignoring ecological frameworks and environmental determinants miss at least half the picture. We need to address the role of adolescents as a foundation not just for personal health, but also for environmental and planetary health.”

H Weiss

Original Letter: The Lancet – 18 Aug. 2012. Vol. 380, #9842, P 645.

Photo Exhibit Showcases Experiences of Non-Driving Youth

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 | warai03p | No Comments

A new qualitative study of Auckland youth, led by the Adolescent Mobility Health Consortium (AMHC), suggests that young people who participated in this PhotoVoice exercise who do not drive cars choose buses, trains, cycling and walking mainly because they are more affordable and convenient transport options.

The study participants took photographs as a way to communicate their experiences. The purpose of the project was to create discussion about transport issues that was generated by the participants themselves. A selection of participant photographs will be on display at the Avondale Community Library in Auckland through September and can be seen on our PInterest channel.

Read original media release here.

Editors Note: Did you know even by age 19, less than a third of New Zealand teenagers have their full drivers license? (Source: Motor Vehicle Register, NZ Transport Agency)

 
 
 

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