Belgian visitor Dr Katrien De Cocker notes that Rockhampton's wide, open spaces are not necessarily an incentive for walking and healthy habits....

Belgian visitor Dr Katrien De Cocker

"You need a car to get around everywhere. You don't do any walking just to get to the store," she said.

"There also seems to be many more fast food outlets than we have back home."

Dr De Cocker is interested in comparisons, since Rockhampton is renowned as an Australian leader in the implementation of the 10,000 STEPS program, which is headquartered at CQUniversity.

Countries including Australia, Canada and the United States had a headstart with 10,000 STEPS, so the program's translation to Europe and specifically Belgium has been watched with interest.

"Our present studies evaluated the effectiveness of European pedometer-based interventions," Dr De Cocker said.

Corneel and Katrien discuss the use of pedometers to encourage walking

"It was found that a 3-week individual-based intervention consisting of pedometer use ... increased physical activity in motivated individuals. A workplace pedometer-based intervention was effective in reducing the decrease in step counts, probably caused by winter time, in already active employees.

"Finally, the community campaign '10,000 Steps Ghent', resulted in high levels of project awareness, a decrease in sitting time, and an increase in physical activity among both active and inactive individuals."

Dr De Cocker is based at the Department of Movement and Sports Sciences at Belgium's Ghent University.  During her Rockhampton Campus visit, she was welcomed by a former Ghent Uni academic, Dr Corneel Vandelanotte. The pair expect an ongoing collaboration between Ghent and CQUniversity, especially since there's the potential for comparison in relation to the climate, environment, economy and social patterns. Dr De Cocker was hosted by the Institute for Health and Social Science Research (IHSSR) at CQUniversity.