UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER NOTES
“Promoting Health through Physical Activity”

It's hard to believe that 2005 is almost in the history books. Looking back, it seems as if the year was characterized by one major event after another. Unfortunately, most of the events were tragic in scope causing much heartache. However, many of you rose to the occasion to donate time, money, and skills to support those in need. Such response is heartwarming and uplifting. Hopefully, 2006 will be shaped by continued recovery and relative peace. The USC PRC wishes all of you a joyous holiday season and prosperous 2006. May it also be the most physically active year of your life!

Steve Hooker, PhD, Director
Delores Pluto, PhD, Newsletter Editor (dmpluto@sc.edu)
http://prevention.sph.sc.edu

RESEARCH NOTES: Urban Trail Use; Adherance to Exercise Prescription Program

REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES: ALRC Implements Expert Directory; Active Living Storybank; New Bikes Belong Booklet

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS: 2006 National Bike Summit

URBAN TRAIL USE: A two-part study of trail use in Chicago, IL examined the patterns, perceptions, and individual, social, and environmental aspects of physical activity. The first portion of the study analyzed how individual, social, and environmental factors affected the rates of trail use. Of 5,496 people observed, 9% were involved in high levels of activity while on the trail, 65% in medium levels, and 26% in low levels of activity. 18-38 year olds were the most likely to be involved in high levels of activity. African-Americans had more low-level activity users than other groups. The second portion of the study looked at the perceptions of 2,873 trail users. Health motivated users (44%) were more likely to use the trail alone and for shorter periods of time compared to recreational users (32%), who tended to diversify their activity use amongst several trails. Health-motivated users were significantly more likely than recreational users to state "personal safety" was a concern that occurred with use of the trails. Gobster PH. Recreation and Leisure Research from an Active Living Perspective: Taking a Second Look at Urban Trail Use Data. Leisure Sciences, 27:367-383, 2005
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ADHERANCE TO EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM: Poor rates of adherence to doctor-advised exercise prescription create obstacles to the goal of increasing physical activity in patient samples. Self-efficacy, psychological well-being, and participant expectations were investigated to assess the factors related to lack of adherence to a 12-week exercise program, Participants normally had high expectations of the exercise program. Those who completed the course had only modest expectations of change compared to those who dropped out of the program. Self-efficacy improved for those who completed the program, while it declined in those who did not. Jones F, Harris P, Waller H, Coggins A. Adherence to an exercise prescription scheme: The role of expectations, self-efficacy, stage of change and psychological well-being. Br J Health Psychol. 10(3):359-78, 2005.

For additional summaries of recent research on promoting physically active lifestyles, visit the Research Updates section of our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/updates/index.htm
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REPORTS, SURVEYS, GUIDELINES, RESOURCES

ALRC IMPLEMENTS EXPERTS DIRECTORY: The Active Living Resource Center (ALRC) web site has implemented a new online directory of experts who can assist neighborhoods and communities in their efforts to make more bicycle friendly and walkable environments. A person can search the Directory on a state by state basis or use an advanced search page for queries by region or specialty. To add your name or submit another person's name to the ALRC Experts Directory, go to: http://www.activelivingresources.org/new_expert.php. To use the Experts Directory, go to: http://www.activelivingresources.org/experts_directory.php.
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ACTIVE LIVING STORYBANK: The Active Living Network has launched the Active Living Storybank, a searchable database with more than 100 projects, programs and initiatives around the country. All entries promote health through changes in the built environment, public policy and education. The Storybank encompasses all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, and allows professionals, advocates, community leaders and others to find examples of Active Living in action. Search the Active Living Storybank, or share your story, at: www.activeliving.org. [Centerlines #135]
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NEW BIKES BELONG BOOKLET: Bikes Belong has published a new 16-page booklet entitled "Bicycling/Moving America Forward," which portrays bicycling and highlights its benefits to the economy, communities, health, families, and quality of life. Packed with useful information and statistics, the booklet is a valuable tool to help advocates and industry representatives garner support for bicycling. Bikes Belong plans to distribute it to members of Congress, corporate leaders, mainstream media, elected officials at all levels, municipalities, and the bike industry. To view a PDF of the booklet, http://bikesbelong.org/site/page.cfm?PageID=265. Copies are also available direct from Bikes Belong. Contact avery@bikesbelong.org. [Bikes Belong Website]
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ICAA STRATEGIES TO PROMOTION PA IN OLDER ADULTS: This fall, practical strategies to encourage older adults to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors were developed by 48 experts attending the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) Strategy Session, "Motivation and Reward Systems That Encourage Activity." The complete report submitted to the White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) policy committee, "Motivation and Reward Systems That Encourage Activity," is available along with the ICAA Vision Paper, "Physical Activities for the Elderly" at http://www.whcoa.gov/about/des_events_reports/ICAA%20Postevent%20Report.pdf
and http://www.icaa.cc/networking/reports/visionpaper.pdf
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UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

2006 NATIONAL BIKE SUMMIT: The League of American Bicyclists is convening the 2006 National Bike Summit: Building Bicycle Friendly Communities in Washington, DC on March 1 3, 2006. The call for papers/presentations deadline is December 2, 2005. Go to http://www.bikeleague.org/events/index.html for conference and registration information.
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For a more complete list of conferences and workshops, visit the PA links section of our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/PAlinks/index.htm.

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This and past issues of the “University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center Notes” are available on our website at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/Newsletter/index.htm.

To submit an item, please e-mail Delores Pluto at dmpluto@sc.edu.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, e-mail the Prevention Research Center at USCPRC@gwm.sc.edu. When subscribing, please include your name, e-mail address, title, and organizational affiliation. There is no subscription cost. If you have an e-mail filter in place that only allows messages from approved email addresses, please add uscprc@gwm.sc.edu to your approved list.

For continuing discussions about physical activity, join the Physical Activity and Public Health On-Line Network listserv. Instructions are located on our website, at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/newsletter/commands.htm.

The USC Prevention Research Center is a member of the CDC Prevention Research Center's National Network, consisting of 28 Centers in the U.S. For more information about the PRC National Network, visit http://www.cdc.gov/prc.

Prevention Research Center
Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina
730 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
803-777-4253

This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 5-U48-DP-000051 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC