Dr. Mark Tremblay and Dr. Richard Larouche were recently in Nairobi (Kenya) from August 12-21, 2013. They participated in a research team meeting for a multi-country study entitled “Assessment of physical activity and active transport among school children in Eastern, Western and Southern regions of Africa: the case of Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria” sponsored by the International Development Research Centre.
This study will examine physical activity and active transport in a sample of 3,000 African children aged 10-12 years. Drs. Tremblay and Larouche also participated in meetings aiming to develop an African version of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale, a questionnaire that is commonly used to assess how individuals perceive their neighborhood as a place for walking and bicycling. This project is a joint effort by researchers from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Uganda, USA and Canada.