Three quarters of delegates drove to conference on impact of environment on health)

In the leading letter in this week's BMJ, Hanratty and Patterson report that of 165 delegates who attended a conference on the �impact of the environment on our health', three quarters drove to the venue! Despite the fact that the location had been chosen for its accessibility from bus routes and the local train station, the authors found that three quarters of the delegates travelled by car and of these more than half travelled alone. They also discovered that seniority increased the likelihood of travel by car.

The authors conclude that if health and local authorities are to lead the way to a healthier nation, then transport policies for their staff may be a good place to start!

Contact:

Bob Schofield, North Yorkshire Health Authority, York