A Qualitative Study of Environmental Factors Important for Physical Activity in Rural Adults

Purpose Despite increasing evidence that the physical environment impacts on physical activity among urban-dwellers, little attention has been devoted to understanding this relationship in rural populations. Work in this area is further hindered by a lack of environmental measures specifically designed for rural settings. This qualitative study aimed to explore the salience of urban physical activity environment constructs among rural adults. Methods In 2011, 49 rural men and women from three distinct areas (coastal, animal-based farming, forestry/plant-based farming) of rural Tasmania, Australia, were purposively recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Interviews explored features of the built and social environment commonly examined in studies of urban adults, including functional characteristics (eg, lighting, footpaths, roads/verges), road and personal safety, availability and accessibility of places to be active, destinations, and aesthetics. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a content-thematic approach using QSR NVivo software. Findings While some urban environmental constructs were salient to these rural adults, such as availability of and accessibility to places to be active, some constructs were operationalised differently, such as road safety (where large trucks and winding roads rather than traffic density was of concern), or were not considered relevant (eg, personal safety related to crime, availability of walkable destinations, aesthetics). Conclusions The measurement of the physical environment in rural populations may require reconsideration and/or modification to ensure salience and appropriate quantification of associations with physical activity in future studies.


It sounds like it's pretty gorgeous as it is.
Yeah, I guess I'm thinking of when we were living in town, it was in a low socio-economic area and we would go for a walk after work with our dog. And yeah, there are days when you come across people or cars or whatever and it is a bit of a um, disincentive to go walking. So in that sense comparing that to the bush setting, um I'd walk in the bush anyday. That's the context that I'm thinking of.
So it really does help to have such a beautiful spot to be in. Yep Yeah. And some people have probably lived either where they are now or nearby for generations. And so for someone that has come into this area and seen [city] and big cities, yeah it's a different appeal.
It is. It is. And that's certainly another thing that has come out of this study, is that um it's interesting talking to particularly people up here in the [region]. A lot of people have actually come from elsewhere, and chosen to live here. So hm, for the very sorts of reasons.
Yeah, more so than, like there are three study areas we're looking at. One is [region] and the other is down at [town]. So  Um, yeah I think generally it's pretty safe where we are. Occasionally you get people that come down in cars that like to explore new roads. And but apart from that it's pretty safe.

Exploring or hooning?
Yeah, oh trying to, who knows what they want to do? They get gently persuaded to move on.

So does personal safety influence whether you are physically active or not?
Ah I don't, ah where we are I don't think so.
So you are saying you are feeling quite safe here.
Yeah, I know when we were in the town, that did, definitely did. But not where we are now, no.
And when you are talking about the town, is that the town here or the town .. 28 No, in [state], [x] Bridge. I used to work in that rural area, [x] Hills, [x] Bridge and so, yes, I know [x] Bridge. Um, so and does road safety influence whether you are physically active or not?
Ah it's definitely something to consider. Although it's a one way road, I guess and we are at the end, you never know who might be coming in to say g'day or if the neighbours are on the track. So yeah, you definitely you have to be aware that potentially someone might be driving up. Especially with our son. So that would probably be the only real safety concern.
If you were walking with him.
Yeah walking. Or, if when he's ready to ride a bike. If we are on the track.

Yes, because it would be ideal, the dirt road, wouldn't it?
Yeah. So people coming the other way, yeah would always be something that we have to consider.
That's a really important point. And if you wanted to be more active are there personal or road safety issues that if addressed might help you be more active?
No, I don't think so.

OK. Well that's it. But before we finish is there anything else you'd like to tell me about
where you live, physical activity or the environment that you live in that we haven't covered today? I don't think so. I think that's pretty well everything.
Great. Thank you.

AUDIO RECORDING ENDS
Interviewer: So first of all I was wanting to talk a bit about the place where you live. Interviewer : Yeah. Respondent: And we got... it was just the cheapest house because we were students; it was the cheapest house that we could afford. It was really, really cheap and it was liveable. We wanted within like a 40 minute drive of [school]. So we just met that, that's the criteria that we basically... we knew the area we wanted to go but it wasn't necessarily because we love [town] or we love the house, it was because we didn't have very much money, so yeah. and I know most of the people that don't work, I know them all like to talk to and just see. And some of them I'm very good friends with. And they're all older so... and having kids and small children as well, it's really good, it's... yeah, it's fantastic way to be because there's... they're all really interesting people in different ways. And while it doesn't have anything... it doesn't have people my own age, we don't socialise a lot because we've got small kids anyway, but it's quite a rich environment to live in. Yeah. So.
Interviewer: So if I was to ask you to put a dis... your distance around that neighbourhood what would you say?
Respondent: It would probably only be like a one, one and a half K radius. It wouldn't be huge. 34 Interviewer: Would that be at [town]  there's just having kids. Being pregnant, breastfeeding, and looking after kids. So outside of that, and there's just no space whatsoever for physical activity. But now that they're older... Interviewer: Yeah, you're starting to... Respondent: ... can, yeah. It's finding the space to do more physical activity. Yeah.
Interviewer: Including that they're at a walkable age so you're walking around them… Respondent: Yeah. I always walked with them.
Interviewer : Yeah. 37 Respondent: Always walked with them. Always walked with them. But even things like doing gardening. Like previously I could really commit to doing large chunks of gardening because of the distraction of everything and the kids. Yeah. So now I'm more active in the yard as well as choosing to do physical. Yeah.
Interviewer: OK. And where does physical activity fit in to your life? Is it of interest to you, no interest, a priority or? Respondent: Yeah. Yeah. It's of a lot of interest to... I like being physically fit.
Respondent: It's, yeah, and healthy. I'm very healthy so fitness is part of that. Yeah.
Interviewer: Yeah. Great. OK. Now I'm just going to go on and talk a bit more about that.
In our research when we think about physical activity we think of any activity that lasts for at least ten minutes, the evidence of health benefit is that one, and causes your body to work harder, you're starting to feel warmer, handy in winter, and heart rate up, a bit of huffing and puffing. So thinking about this type of physical activity during the past two weeks, I'll just go through some parts of your life here.

Respondent: Yeah.
Interviewer: Not to segment your life, but just make sure that we cover them basically. Interviewer: OK. And the duration you've already said is at least ten minutes.

Respondent: Yeah.
Interviewer: And how often would that be in the last two weeks, two days a week that you're there? Respondent: Two days a week. Only two days a week realistically for about ten minutes of like walking, not standing. Probably I think about three times a day.
Interviewer: And OK, so is that what you usually do or is it a one off? Respondent: Usual. Yeah. Interviewer: Oh OK. Yeah, that's a nice walk in the morning. Yeah.
Respondent : Yeah. 40 Interviewer: OK. And is that just to drop him off or you do it the other end of the day as well?
Respondent: Yeah, generally if I'm going to do it I'll do it... depends, changes from day to day depending on how late or early we're running. But yeah, I... it's a constant thing is that we drive in and go to [school] and then from there I either catch a bus or walk.
Respondent: Yeah. So in summer I do at least one way.
Interviewer: Yeah. OK. In the past two weeks have you walked or cycled for at least ten minutes at a time to get to and from places? Respondent: Yeah.
Interviewer: OK. So that's walking or cycling? Respondent: Walking.
Interviewer: OK. Could you tell me about what you did? Respondent: OK. Different walkings. Walking in the last two weeks... walking to the shop takes more than ten minutes, but again that's... if I do it myself it takes me five minutes. Interviewer: Yes. 41 Respondent: If I have the children it takes me longer so that's a bit... it's really only five minutes' walk but it's ten minutes when you drag the kids. But having said that I'm generally carrying, you know what I mean. At some stage during that I carry as well so it turns into a more physically... and there's a hill as well.
There's a hill where we walk.
Interviewer: That helps too.
Respondent: So I have had my heart rate raised walking up the hill. And also in the last two weeks it's been school holidays so I've done more walking round town down to the sports centre which is probably about a 15 minute walk there and back, two or three times with the kids as well. Yeah.
Interviewer: So would you describe that intensity as steady, moderate or vigorous?
Interviewer: OK. And the duration, you've let me know about it's at least ten minutes... Interviewer : Oh. 50 Respondent: Which is just awesome, it's great. And I only go there because, this will answer one of your other questions, one of the... my neighbours started

Respondent
going last year, and got incredibly fit and lost a lot of weight and she takes me and it's after the kids go to bed. So I have the kids in bed and then I do that. I have someone pick me up and take me and then do that then for the hour. Interviewer Yeah. And you live on how many acres did you say?
We live on three quarters of an acre.

Three quarters of an acre.
Off on a side road, on a dirt road. And it's really good. It's a great area to be. But, yeah.. It is.

What does it mean to you?
Well because we live in a rural town, everyone knows everybody. When we first moved into the town and knew no-one, "oh you're the people that bought such and such place" you know like. And they refer to someone who is probably died ten year ago and but they still refer to their house. And um, this sort of, this is the energy. Yeah. Don't do anything at high speed anymore, unless it's -the other day when I was chasing the geese because he was attacking the chooks, and then I fell over in the mud.

You don't need that at all? And so how long would you have done those activities for?
Because some, you do daily don't you?
Oh to feed the chooks and the animals is an hour a day in the afternoon. Um, and then in the morning you go down -it takes a couple of hours a week to maintain the animals and look after them.

OK.
It's nicely spread out.

Yep. And ah, who would you have done those activities with? By yourself?
Me and the animals.
The dog helps out.
No, the dog can't walk -she's old, and she's got a heart condition. Usually me big black cat runs down the back with me. We've got a seven year old big black cat that runs everywhere we go,

And OK, so this is what you usually do, and does it change depending on the season?
That's something you've got to do every day. Um, the only thing that changes with the season is probably the extra activities that you get up to. Like, there's no way known in the 90 middle of winter we jump in the van and go for a drive and go for a walk along the beach, but we might do that in summer sort of thing.

Yeah. And if you wanted to is there anything that would have helped being more active at home?
Again I'll say me. Um, there's always things to do. It's not like when you are living in suburbia -there's always things to do you know. There's always repairs. There's always stuff to be done. I've got three quarters of an acre to mow regularly. I'm helping everyone in the community, a lot of the time, even in winter, you know? I've got a little old lady who lately I've taught to use a computer.
Oh good on you.
So every now and then she rings me up -"oh I've got some trouble, somethings gone wrong". So, and again that's in the car, drive up, walk to her -

So there isn't anything really, I mean because there's always things you do anyway.
And most of the guys that I talk to down there, because we have a little meeting at the [x] Church, once a month, called our secret men's business. It's just a group of guys getting together for lunch and a chat. And 90% of the guys down there, of different ages, but they're all fairly active still. You know, and a lot of them are looking after older, oldish wives.
A couple of their wives have died. But they're all still active. They're all still doing things.
They're all out cutting fire wood, they're all you know, yeah. Um, within the last two weeks I did a three day meeting and we run it Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And um, that was full on. We had a heap of cars from the mainland, and we had to run it all.

So that's what, in the last two weeks?
Yes.

OK.
And again this weekend, and then two weeks after that. And then two weeks after that.

It's fairly regular then isn't it?
Yep.
And you do that with others.

Yes, I'm part of the [x] Club and the [x] club [25:23]
And is this what you usually do, or is it one off? Yes it is. And ..

And it doesn't change depending on the season or time of year?
We have a little bit of lay time over the winter. There'll be still some small event, you know?

Yeah, which is very -it's very difficult to walk that way. And it's also very uncomfortable.
Yeah, um normally if we walk we drive down to the local regatta grounds and we walk through the grass there and wander around there a bit. Um, they're trying to get more walkways in and they are slowly and surely putting in walkways for people. But again it's all budgeting.
That's right. So

Because people would use it because it's easy.
So the more we can get the more they'll use. Um, I actually went to a meeting for the Council, meeting all the new Councillors last night. I was very disappointed there was only six Councillors turned up. And three of them aren't in yet. Um, and I just find that there seems to be a really lethargic laid back "oh I'll get in again". Anyway that's beside the point.
So you actually see that if you wanted to be more active there are things that would help, like more walking tracks. And also the Sports Centre.
That's a really good one in [town].

Oh is it?
Yeah, it runs around the back of the flood plain. Runs from the foreshore right round the back of the town. They put it in. And it's a good one. And they put bridges in and that. So they are doing it but slowly. Probably not so much. Because -

You get in your car.
You get in your car and go to a spot and go for a walk. And it doesn't -I mean there is no way known I could walk to [town] and back. Although some people do. But just not having a footpath to walk on I guess is you know, that's probably the biggest obstacle. And there's a lot of people wont walk because there isn't -I mean even if they go and put a footpath down the side -so there is a gap between it and the road. You know, something like that.
If you were wanting to be more active would it help if there were more destinations within easy walking distance?
Well not from where we are, no. We're in the bush. I mean to build, to do anything active you've got to go into an area that is designed to do it. And there's no way known, I mean 96 we've got 11 houses in our street of 2km. I mean you know, what you can do? The funding's just not there to do that sort of stuff.

Yeah.
But footpaths would be nice.

Yeah, with obviously with the main roads being so narrow.
And with the kids riding pushbikes on the road -you know if you had a combination walk and cycle path they could ride their bushbikes on it without getting run over.
OK In the town you can. Not out our way.

And there wouldn't be any lighting out your way either?
Oh no.

How about in the town?
Oh there's lighting in the town and it's not bad lighting in the town, in some areas.
In some areas. Yeah Actually, yes, but community does mean more to me. Because I work in the school environment, community -and I'm studying to be a youth worker and I've been working as a chaplain -community does involve for me like the school, the people around me and also some of the people supplying services into those areas. So it does have a -you know your service groups, you think of the Lions Clubs and the churches. And it has a wider, or a wider scope. It's still basically the area, but it has a wider, people who actually serve into the community, not just being in it.
So the difference would be -they are both relevant -but the difference would be neighbourhood would be more the geographic area.
Yeah, the physical. Oh it um, yeah probably not much more than a um, yeah the intensity is probably reasonably low.
So it would be pretty steady.

Yes.
But some of the sport playing I presume would be a bit more moderate from time to time? 104 Yes, I try to. But having said that, I still don't mind a bit of a run around with a few lads.
Sometimes I'll do, like in the last um week I would have taken a group down into the bush, some young fellas. We were clearing a bit of a trail to um, yeah just to make an area that's a bit nice for people to walk through. And um, so it's not that -if I was working myself I would probably be working a bit harder. But you are working continuously, but like I say, it's probably at a lower sort of rate.
So just thinking about those activities, how long would you have done them at any one time in the last couple of weeks?
Oh at any one time, probably twenty minutes?

OK. And how often might you have done them?
Most days I would be having a couple of sessions like that I suppose. A couple of times where I'm working pretty solidly. I know one time last week -you know these vary too, but I run a couple of breakfast clubs, and on one of those, like just not having any volunteers bar one on one day, so you spend about three quarters of an hour running, or longer by the time I clean up, probably well over an hour at a pretty steady pace. So yeah, that can vary.

So in that sense your work -I mean a lot of people's work is more sitting around, but your
work actually does incorporate physical activity with the job.

Yep.
And when would you normally do these activities? During the day? Yep.

During the week?
Yes.

And is this what you usually do or is it one off?
No, no. I'm doing various types of things constantly. Like next week, this is a bit unusual, I'm going off to [state] with a school group. Um, and so we'll be on the go from early in the morning till you know a reasonable time at night time. And sometimes it sounds a bit glamorous, but I can tell you it will certainly be -

It's hard work.
Well it will be a good work out as well, the time spent with some young people. Mowed the lawns in the last two weeks, which is a record. Been avoiding them a bit, but um did some lawn mowing. I'm also renovating my house, which I've been doing -

Yes, well that's an activity in itself isn't it?
Yes. Though  Ah yep.

And the renovation?
Yeah, probably about three efforts there.

Yep. Yep. And when did you do these activities?
Ah, mainly around weekends. So Friday nights, Saturday, Sunday. Yeah, probably mainly around those times. Um, that will change now with the daylight savings and weather. I will start doing more of that through the week nights as well. When I have the opportunity to.

And would you do those activities by yourself or with others?
Ah, a bit of both. I'm quite fortunate. I have some good helpers around town who quite often volunteer themselves. One chap in particular who will come over especially to help 108 me do some of these tasks. So pretty fortunate. And also my wife will be helping us out as well. Yep. With the last couple of years they've built a lovely walk along the beach front. So very close to my house, I'd say within probably two minutes I can get down towards the beach and ah it's quite a lovely four or five hundred metre stretch along the coastline that is nicely removed from the edge of the road and wide enough that you know groups could pass each other. It probably goes longer than that, I don't know, but it'll join from one beach right along the main street. And those areas certainly do make a -and there's been, I think there's been a fair bit of footpath that has been repaired or dug up. And they've also been fixing up curbs so that you can get on and off them, like on a pushbike or a scooter or something. You know, they make them cuttings. Some of our older style footpaths are a bit sudden, they don't have that sort of easability to get anything wheeled on or off. You know, scooters, wheelchairs or whatever. So  Absolutely.

Is there any others?
Um, I think the idea of bikeways or thinking of areas that can be better connected with um, yeah with biking and walking tracks is good. We've got some, actually one area that I hadn't thought about until we were talking -behind the schools here there is a section of bush with a lot of tracks that we like to mountain bike and that in. And the kids will grab BMXs and I will be chasing them around on a mountain bike or whatever. So it's good having some areas like that as well where we can -that's virtually next door to the school.

OK. And what about the word 'community', what does that mean to you?
Ah the word community, well I'm ah, I've got three guys, I've only got one other full time guy and then two casuals here. And the word community -and then my contact with those guys is pretty much daily. But when you start saying word 'community' I'd be including my stock and station agent, merchandise man that comes and sees me, um and we also contract out to the guys that do grow seed cabbages -and yeah they're the sort of guys I have contact with on a sort of daily or you know, every second or third day.

Yeah, so it would be a community of interest.
You're not isolated. There's not the isolation that we used to have. Yes.

Yeah. And that's been walking around the paddocks and various different -
Walking around the paddocks, shearing a few sheep that are stray. Then we've been band marking. And then it's up and down the 9:45 doing wetting and drying the ewes, which is physically, seeing if they've got milk or not, drenching them, jetting them, so that's pretty yeah, pretty full on.

It's a busy time isn't it?
Yeah, so up and back and up and back and all that.

OK. Now thinking about those activities, what you think they, the intensity of them were?
Would they be steady, moderate or vigorous?

Ok. And how long would you have done that at a time?
Well, when we get that in that's about four hours, four or five hours every day, except for the Saturday and Sunday.

And is this what you usually do? Or is it one off?
No this is what we usually -well this is only at this time of the year we do that. But we are quite often, we are always doing something.

Mm. And the duration of those activities?
Oh it's usually whenever I start that, it's usually an hour. So it's an hour in those set ups and that can be a couple of times a day.
OK. And where would you have done those activities?
On the farm.

Yep. OK. And were you alone or with others?
Usually alone with my dogs.

Yeah. And the duration? How long would you have done that?
Oh it only takes me about 25-30 minutes twice a day.

And when would you have done that? Would that be before the other farm work and after it?
Yeah, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Yeah, yep. And would you have done that by yourself or with others?
Yeah, just about really most things I do are by myself.

Yeah. And is it what you usually do, or is it once off?
Oh yeah, we are always, there is usually something like that.

So you go down to the [place].
Yeah. Tuesday night we go down. It ends up a late night. But it's um, it's good.

OK. Now what would be the intensity of that exercise?
Ah it's full on. That's bloody -when we're playing there's no prisoners. Yes.

Yep. And how long would you play at a time?
We play for about three hours. Probably in that three hours there is probably two hours of really full on.

And that's every week?
Yeah.

And that's of an evening is it?
Yeah. Right.

So first of all can you just tell me about how easy or difficult it is to be physically active in your area?
Oh it's quite easy to be physically active on the farm and also as I said with going down to town for sport. But it would be, it would be -we've got, the local town has got a cricket oval, and that's about it. And I'm not a cricketer.

Yeah, how far is it into [town]?
About six kilometres.

Yep.
Yeah I could do that. But just, yeah I have got an issue with my knees. So I've just got to um -Yeah, it's not really very good for your knees trying to get back.
And it's too -I'm alright on the flat, I'm alright up to about 5 degrees, but once it's above that I'm in a bit of trouble. We've got eight and a half kilometres of [river] river frontage.

Beautiful. That would be tempting to wander down to fish in it.
Oh it is. And you can actually, if you get in the river, you can get on a little punt and go for a fish or whatever. But you can get in there and you could be anywhere in the world. You get in there when it's nice and quiet and with the cliffs all around you and it's lovely.

Yeah. So you've got a really beautiful spot actually on your property.
Oh several. Several really nice ones.

Yeah. So do the aesthetics of your area influence whether you are physically active or not?
Yeah, we do. Yeah, I just get out and do it. Like it's my workplace as well. So it's um -yeah I walk as I said. I just do the walking thing like I said, and I try and blend that in with the other. 143 And if you wanted to be more active are there any features in your area that might help if they were more pleasing or attractive?
Oh no, no.
It doesn't sound like it.
You don't get it any nicer.
It's pretty beautiful. Now the last area is safety. If I were to ask you about safety in your area what sorts of things would you tell me about?
Oh just the highway is the one that um if that was um yeah -it's the one thing that where our turn off is is right on the top of a hill on a bend, so that scares me, and the big log trucks on that. And the rest of it, the other limiting, there is not too much other safety, like on the properties safety is not an issue. It's just the outside influences that are -like that.
Yep, it's more the road safety. When you are wanting to cycle.
Yeah, that's the main one that springs to mind here.

So does road safety influence whether you are physically active or not?
Oh not really. Not in that regard, no. Because as I said, the country here, like my front drive is too bloody steep for me to get up on a bike. I can get down it no worries, but I can't get back up. I could I suppose, but I'd have to walk it, walk the bloody bike up.

Yeah. And does personal safety influence whether you are physically active or not?
No, not really. Not really.
So if you wanted to be more active are there any personal or road safety issues that if they were addressed might help you be more active?
No, not look obviously -

Because we've talked about the road being too narrow.
Yeah, now look it's a reasonable road but it's just got that big you know log truck traffic and everything. It's just not a friendly, not a place for bicycles. Or not for me anyway. years. Um, we moved up there when all the boys were home. And now they've all shifted.
To be honest with you we're getting to the stage now where we're looking to get out of it because of the amount of upkeep to the place.

It's a lot of work isn't it?
A lot of work. I'm getting to that age now when I want to spend more time out in the boat, out in the camper, building this and doing that. But I find every time we have a storm, I got trees coming down over the fences. I've got a huge place to mow, I've got whipper snipping, I've got sheep to shear and all sorts, water pumps to fix.

So just trying to do this is like having a second job.
It's been fantastic. Absolutely love it. We just in the process of putting it on the market now for that reason. And the fact that I love, well I'm 53 now. And my place is on a side of a hill, so everything you do is hard yakka. Probably good for you, but hard, hard yakka. And we'd like to move probably down to town and get something with less maintenance, and enjoy life also with that sort of thing.
So that would be more round [town].

Flatter.
Flatter. Because I love push bikie riding and that sort of thing. And where I am, because I'm up a hill, wonderful coming down, not much fun going up.
And that's when you have the home run. 145 But yeah, it's beautiful.

OK. And what were your reasons for living there? Was it ..
Ah mainly for the, always wanted a few acres out of town. Well it was 16 years ago, I was mid 30s and I lived on a small place in town, that was very congested and three boys that couldn't ride their motor bikes or anything like that. So this place come along and we bought it. And we've had a ball up there. But the boys have all left now. They all say "oh Dad, you can't sell it, it's too good". I say "well you come up and maintain it. Come up and give me a hand to maintain it". I'll miss it. I know I'll miss it. Love the place, but you know I've got to be sensible about it.

It's for a time isn't it?
That's right.

And you enjoy it for the time that it is.
Indeed. Indeed. And there's wood to cut too. And a lot of it I do enjoy doing, but um yes it's taking too much of me life just maintaining it. Every weekend I've got work, lots of work to do. And I work here, not that I work particularly hard, this is office, but when I get home I'm sort of you know, got to do this and fix that.
Well that's the thing with land, it never stops. There's always something to do.
Yeah. So there's a water pump too. That's a big problem, you know lots of people say oh your rates and tax are cheap up there, you know you've got no sewerage, you've got a septic tank and no water. And I said but yeah, I'm up for pumps every two or three years.

Yeah, you've got to maintain it.
And the septic tank wants maintaining. And you know and then you don't get a lot of less in your rates and taxes for living up there. I think now we're paying $1,000 a year when I think here they are paying about $1500. If I work out me pump and all that sort of thing and the fuel to run it and … Let alone the wear and tear on you. To me it always means me direct neighbours, the people that I know within close proximity which rurally I suppose, I'd have four up there that are neighbours. Well I mean the closest one would be 150 metres away. And they get further away from that.

Yes. So what sort of distance would that be?
Um, well I'd say the first one, from house to house is about 150 metres, the second one is about 250 metres and the third would be about 400 metres. But I actually go past their driveways to get to my place. So they're my, mine's a no through road.

..you actually go past, so you'd be…
It's a no through road and the very end of the road is my property. So there's three, four, different houses I go past to get to my property. Oh, one is a driveway that leads up into the bush. I don't know where they are.

So it is relevant to you in terms of you've got neighbours.
Yeah, there's only one that we really get on with. The others are as green as green can be.
And we fell out big time with them when we first went up. It was really bad. Because they were sort of my age then when I came up, and all their kids had left and what have you. And we went up there with little boys with motor bikes and all the rest of it. It was like "oh, shock, horror, the noise you're making" and you know, we had the police up there and all this carry on. We had to look into the environmental act and see how far you were allowed to ride a motor bike within close proximity of somebody else's property. And oh..

Oh that would have been really hard.
Yeah. So there's only one that we get on well. And they're the same as us, they got kids and a few motor bikes. absolutely exhausted. In fact I've been going for five years and someone said the other day, does it ever get any easier. I said "it never has. There has not been one time that I've 148 walked out of this gym after and said gee that was an easy night". He's ruthless. He's really really hard.

He really knows what he's …
Actually he's an ex Council employee that went and done a degree at university. And got his whatever it is, to run gyms. And he's a return to work, he return to work people who are crook and sick and all the rest of it. And he's a hard case. He's good. He's fair, but yeah.
And that can be, come the middle of winter and you get home from here, and you get the fire going and the house nice and warm and you watch the news, and you think "oh gee, I wouldn't mind the some tea. But I can't. I'm hungry, I got the gym in another half hour." Oh so you go home and then you come back down for the gym. It's a priority. It truly is. I got a wife that doesn't and I'm always onto her to do more. She's on her feet all day. We had this pedometer challenge here a few weeks ago. We all had one of them and I was trying to get me 10,000 steps a day and I was struggling to do it but I was.
And she was doing 15,000. I couldn't explain to her, "but you are standing and walking in a shop all day" I said, "you're not". You know she gets home and her feet are sore and her legs are sore. I said "but you're not" -she thinks she's doing the steps and she is, but they're not good steps, you know, they're not. She needs to stride out more and get the heart rate going a bit. She just sort of stands around. But anyway.

Mm. It's hard when ..
You women like to try and tell us..

Well often you get home really tired when you've got that sort of a job.
I know. She is. She's very tired. It would be, moderate.
The walking out on the beach would be.

Moderate.
And the other activities?

And the duration? How long?
Well all up then I suppose -are we talking just during the work hours?

Yep.
Not till I get home after?
No. We'll talk about that.
Then it would be three quarters of an hour a day.
And half an hour would be the walk in the morning.
Yep. You know the walk in the morning, and probably quarter of an hour around here. So that's quarters of an hour all up.

And is that what you usually do?
Yeah.

And does it change depending on the season or the time of year?
Yeah.

Absolutely. No, that's very good.
In fact when it was put -they are trying to spend some money at the moment and they said we was down at [workplace] a few months ago, and they just had a push bike in there. Two push bikes in their office. And I said "what are these for?" And they said well we do a lot of interaction between the works depot and their admin. So the guys, instead of taking the car to take the mail, they go on the push bike to take the mail. And so we've actually come up with that idea here too. Thinking about doing that ourselves. That's a bit more than moderate.
It was hard, but then you know pushing and all the mowing, well it's not really vigorous but it's on the verge of being.

Depends on the season?
Yeah, well that's right. OK. So that would be every day.

Yep. And would you have done that by yourself or with others?
By meself.
And is that what you usually do, or is it one off?
No, it's what I normally do.

And does it change depending on the season or the time of the year?
Definitely.
We've already talked about that. So Well, um the gym twice a week every week.

How long is that for?
Well it's two hours.

OK. Two hours per session?
No, an hour session.

So two hours a week. Yes.
Two hours of that. And daily I do well particularly over the holidays I was an hour and a half on the bike yesterday. But normally, three quarters of an hour a day. With me walking and the little bit I get around here.
And how often would you usually get to bike ride? Sounds like it would be more on the weekends now.
On the weekends, the weekends. But there might be more opportunity now that the weather is coming up good.

More opportunity to put it in the car and bring it down.
That's what I do. I put it in the back of the ute. And bring it down. Park down at the wharf and go to [village]. And the dog runs. I've got a whippet dog that runs alongside me too.

That's great. I wouldn't train my dog for that.
Oh he's good. Well a whippet.

He just goes for ever.
He is just bounding along. And I'm going quite hard and bloody hell, he's running backwards and forwards and out and still keeping up.

So you try and um…
Oh I try and strengthen it yeah.

Very wise.
That's the best thing you can do for a back injury. People say, when you've done it though, a lot of people say "oh the best thing to do is to keep moving around". Well if you've really done it bad, you can't. It just makes it worse. You've got to just sit there and rest for a day or two, until you start getting a bit of movement around you and bring it on. By meself.
Other than the dog of course.

Sorry.
Is it what you usually do, the walking and the cycling?
Yes. And they got all their riding gear on. Their helmets. And they sit outside the coffee shop with their bloody $6,000 push bikes. And they all have a coffee and then they ride. There's two groups and one is almost semi-professional and the other groups are just amateurs.
And they will just take off and wind about the canyon which is a hell of a bloody ride. You That would be something.
That's going to be fantastic. Well you've got one in [city].

Yeah.
My brother said he used to ride to work every day on it and he loved it.
Oh it's great. Respondent: … that it has to be interesting or fun. It's just like a lot of this sort of running on running machines, which you can do in winter, I just find that incredibly tedious and boring. It doesn't matter if they put up TV screens in the gym, or sometimes if it's music that I really like and you get in to the rhythm, that's OK. But, you know, I know you're exercising your heart and lungs but I just will spend the whole time thinking of all these other things I could be doing, and I would actually rather be with my family and doing things with them than isolating myself. So I need to do physical, well exercise anyway, with company so that I'm feeling that actually that time is productive, and, you know.
Interviewer: I think that's a really good example you've given, I really understand that.

Yes.
Interviewer: That's the health benefit effect as you know. And it raises your heart rate, Interviewer: It does doesn't it. There's more juggling involved.
Respondent: So you tend try to, yes, and I didn't take any time off work while he was away this time, so trying to do more in the same amount of time. So, no, it hasn't happened. Probably just felt there wasn't enough time. The weather was fine, it wasn't that. I'm just thinking very hard about the last two weeks.
Even when I've had time I've stood around watching soccer for an hour, you know.
Interviewer: Or if it helps, pick another couple of weeks if that… That's OK. That's fine.
Respondent: Yeah, no. Sometimes I will down in to town or go on a bike ride, but really, really uncommon to be perfectly honest, yeah.
Interviewer: No. As I say, it's really good to talk to everyone and the sorts of juggles and balances they have.

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Respondent: It's even been a while since I've actually taken the dog for a proper walk because she's quite happy actually just racing around the paddock whilst I'm doing other things, and so she gets her exercise whilst I'm doing whatever I need to do with the chickens and different other things, so, but, no.
Interviewer: And what that change at all depending on the time of the year?
Respondent: Yes, the longer evenings, we tend to often go for a walk after the evening meal with the kids and the dog, or go down to the beach a bit more. Bike rides more as well, and it also tends to be like, again, with the kids long summer holiday. So that's when I'm more likely to take some time off work or I might modify my hours so that maybe I do half days and then have afternoons off the kids and we'll do things, that sort of thing rather than do some full days. So there is more flexibility I suppose to access family time and we might do some of those sorts of…or go on bush walks which we do. It's even been a while since we…I'm trying to think when we last went up to [mountain]. But when we go up to [x] Mountain, which we did… whenever that last weekend was when had three days a row, we did like nice big walks every day, but it wasn't in these last few weeks. So it's patchy I guess. Interviewer: Yeah, so that it makes a very big difference.
Respondent: So we will go with her pace and that is actually one issue with physical activity with the children. As you know with very little ones, you know, it's one step forward two steps back, and you're walking at their pace and stopping and looking at things. So there is no sustained period where your heart rate is up if you like. Although as they're getting bigger, that is improving, so, but she's the eldest one and she's eight so probably there is a little bit of… Interviewer: You've got a little while to go, yes.
Interviewer: Often women say that, you know; when we're with the kids, well, mmm.
Respondent: You are out about a lot or in the parks but you're not actually exercising. Interviewer: … and also the bushwalks, how long would they be for?
Respondent: All right. The bushwalks would usually be a minimum of an hour, and then up to sort of three hours probably with kids at the moment.
Interviewer: They're doing very well.
Respondent: They are, they are. Look, and it's all very weather dependent and all the rest of it. But they're actually really good but you've got to pick interesting ones, you know. Respondent: Look in terms of people, very, very safe. In terms of… I think they've actually done a lot to improve things but I know that there were parts of the footpath that were broken and uneven, and certainly a friend of ours who is elderly but used to walk regularly had a nasty fall 'cause she tripped and so on. So maybe some physical things, barriers, particularly for maybe not so much myself but maybe older people or little ones tripping. But a lot of that has been addressed. I think the lighting is adequate in the central part of town.
So we'll go down in to town to out for a meal and it's fine. You see the Police around a lot, so they're a very sort of physical presence there. Not in a threatening sort of a way, but you just know that they're around. But it's not a town that feels unsafe or anything like that, so that's not a barrier I don't think.
Interviewer: OK. So does personal… well, I was just going to ask you… Respondent: Personal safety?
Interviewer: … does personal safety influence whether you're physically active or not, because it's a safe town so no. Oh, it would mean sort of um, -can you still hear me?
Yes. I can hear you fine.
Oh, I think it's my phone.

Yeah.
I might put you on the loudspeaker.

OK.
So the community- week, swimming three times a week.
So you're very physically active.
Yes, well I've just learned that it's not a question of intensity, it's just doing things a lot.
Because physically as you get older you need to do something, not just every day, but particularly with a job like mine where I just sit at a desk.

Yes. So you have to do it regularly enough. That's a really a good point. And it feeds into
what you were saying about you know sometimes people sort of think it's a seasonal thing, and it's not, no.
It's not.
Where does physical activity fit in your life? Is it for instance no interest, a priority, or a high priority?
Ah it's one of the highest there is. I mean you need your body to live, and because I'm 48 now, I've seen lots of people die young. I've seen -my wife is an intensive care nurse and so she talks about that sort of thing a lot. I put on weight easily. And I can just see, you've just got to move to keep fit. And you feel better that way. You not only live longer, but your quality of life. I mean it is all pretty basic stuff, but your quality of life is just so much better.

No, but it's important.
You can be a very old 50 year old or you can be a young 80 year old.