Congratulations to Drs. Eun-Young Lee and Leigh Vanderloo on their recent publication “The political landscape of physical activity and climate action in Canada’s social climate” published in the Journal of Climate Change and Health! The abstract and citation can be found below.
Abstract
This study examined the implications of political orientation on the social climate of physical inactivity and policy support addressing both climate change and physical inactivity (i.e., health co-benefits) in Canada. Analyses were conducted using data from the Social Climate Survey 2.0 (18 years+). Political orientation (liberal, centrist, conservative), perception of physical inactivity as a serious public health issue, adherence to physical activity guidelines, causal attributions of physical inactivity, and support for health co-benefits policy actions using logistic regression models after adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Mediation models were conducted to test if causal attributions covary between political orientation and support for policy actions aimed at health co-benefits. Among 1,717 adults, 42% identified as liberals, 33% as centrists, and 25% as conservatives. No associations were observed between political orientation and perceived seriousness of physical inactivity or physical activity guideline adherence. However, when compared to liberals, both centrists (OR: 1.63, 95%CI: 1.25-2.08) and conservatives (OR: 1.76, 95%CI: 1.33-2.32) were more inclined to attribute physical inactivity solely to individual responsibility. Regarding the endorsement of eight health co-benefits policy actions, centrists were less likely to support four actions (ORs: 0.53-0.66), while conservatives were less likely to support all actions (ORs: 0.27-0.48), compared to liberals. These associations were partially explained by the attribution of causes for physical inactivity among conservatives only. Tailoring public health messages, policy advocacy strategies, and investment priorities to align with varying political orientations may be important for addressing health co-benefits of climate change and its broader public health implications in Canada.
Citation
Lee EY, Park S, Vanderloo LM, Ferguson LJ, Latimer-Cheung AE, O’Reilly N, Rhodes RE, Spence JC, Tremblay MS, Faulkner G. The political landscape of physical activity and climate action in Canada’s social climate. The Journal of Climate Change and Health. 10.1016/j.joclim.2025.100453
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